Acceptability of a human papillomavirus (HPV) trial vaccine among mothers of adolescents in Cuernavaca, Mexico

Background, A scenario that must be considered when testing prophylactic hu man papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines in teenagers is the parents' acceptabilit y of their daughters' participation in the study. Methods. A survey was carried out in a random sample of 880 women between t he ages of 15 and 49 years in the metropolitan area of Cuernavaca, Mexico. These women were interviewed to obtain information concerning their knowled ge of risk factors for cervical cancer and their perception of the usefulne ss of vaccines. Afterward, they were provided with information on the main risk factors for cervical cancer and the future availability of a human pap illomavirus (HPV) vaccine to prevent cervical cancer. Finally, we explored, with parents, the possible acceptability of an HPV vaccine for their teena ged daughters. The degree of acceptability and its association with a serie s of sociodemographic and reproductive factors were assessed. Results. The respondents had little knowledge regarding the etiology of cer vical cancer. Only 1.9% said that the principal risk factor was infection w ith HPV; however, 84.2% were aware of the usefulness of vaccines and 83.6% of the women indicated that they would allow their daughters to participate in a trial to evaluate the effectiveness of an HPV vaccine that helps prev ent cervical cancer, The main factor associated with the acceptance of a po ssible vaccine against HPV was the knowledge of the usefulness of vaccines [odds ratio (OR) = 6,5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 5.2-8.2], Likewise, a history of two or more sexual partners (OR = 2.2, 95% CI 1.3-3.6) increased acceptability. Acceptance was not associated with the number of live birth s (never vs, ever OR = 0.9, 95% CI 0.3-2.1), There were 525 women with chil dren over the age of 10 years (59.6%); prevalence of acceptability among th ese women was 80.1%, not statistically different from the remainder of the sample (p >0,05), Conclusions. Acceptance of a potential HPV vaccine was high in this sample of Mexican women. Initiation of HPV vaccine clinical trials and immunizatio n campaigns that target school children and/or teenagers who are not sexual ly active should include educational programs aimed at mothers of these ind ividuals. Knowledge of the benefits of a preventive vaccine as well as the etiology and risk factors of cervical cancer should be emphasized, (C) 2001 IMSS, Published by Elsevier Science Inc.