Knowledge of the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine and Willingness to Accept Vaccination in the Postpartum Period

Abstract

Objectives Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines prevent cervical cancer. The inpatient postpartum period presents a unique window for vaccination. Our study investigates HPV vaccine knowledge, barriers to vaccination, and willingness to get vaccinated during inpatient postpartum care. Materials and Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 147 participants, age 18 to 26, who delivered at our institution between November 1, 2019, and April 30, 2020. Participants completed a questionnaire that included demographics, vaccine knowledge, hesitancies, and willingness to vaccinate. We used descriptive statistics and compared groups with chi-square or Wilcoxon rank sum for categorical variables and t-test for continuous variables. Results Of the 147 patients, 58 (39.46%) were fully vaccinated against HPV and 89 (60.54%) of participants were unvaccinated or partially vaccinated. There was a greater proportion of African American and Asian participants among unvaccinated women (28.1% vs 20.7% and 16.9% vs 1.7%, respectively). Most unvaccinated participants (52.9%) were willing to get vaccinated in the postpartum unit. Both vaccinated and unvaccinated groups were similarly aware that the HPV vaccine prevents cervical and oropharyngeal cancers and genital warts. The top barrier to future vaccination was forgetting to complete the vaccination series. Conclusions Most women were not fully vaccinated but were willing to receive their first dose while in the postpartum unit. African American women were less likely to be vaccinated and expressed more unwillingness to accept vaccination. We identified barriers to HPV vaccination that can be tackled with the initiation of inpatient postpartum vaccination.