Beliefs and attitudes of mothers of adolescent girls regarding HPV vaccine

Objective: The objective of the study is to assess the beliefs and attitudes of mothers of adolescent girls toward the HPV vaccine. At the end of the study, it is aimed to determine the beliefs and attitudes of the parents regarding the sexually transmitted HPV vaccine. Method: The study was planned as a cross-sectional and descriptive study to determine the beliefs and attitudes of mothers of adolescent girls regarding the HPV vaccine. The research data were collected from 246 mothers of girls aged 10-18 in 2 Family Health Center, which have the largest population of children aged 10-18 in the central neighborhoods of Antalya province, between September-December 2023. Results: The average age of the participants was 42.13±5.95 years, the majority of them were married, had a high school education or higher, lived in a nuclear family, and were mostly working parents whose income was below their expenses. The average total score of the scale was 33.19±3.05. Conclusion: According to the data obtained, as the age of the parents increases, the Karolina HPV Vaccination Attitudes and Beliefs Scale (KHATİÖ) harm dimension score decreases significantly. There is no significant difference in terms of education, marital status and income. The harm dimension and total KHATİÖ scores of parents living in extended families are higher than those in nuclear families. HPV knowledge of mothers of adolescent girls is low. These results may contribute to the development of cervical cancer prevention programs and screening services, increasing HPV awareness and improving women's health. The study may be encouraging for the progress in the process of increasing the society's HPV knowledge and vaccination rates, reducing transmission rates and including the HPV vaccine in the national vaccination program.