Factors Influencing Parents' Intention to Vaccinate Their Daughters Aged 13-15 Years Old Against Human Papillomavirus: Results From a Cross-Sectional Study in China.

Purpose: The vaccination rate of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine among females aged 9-14 in China remains suboptimal. The decision for minors to receive the vaccine is closely tied to parental choices. Therefore, it is crucial to enhance parents' willingness to have their daughters vaccinated against HPV. This study aims to describe the HPV vaccination status among young girls and analyze the factors influencing parents' willingness to have their daughters receive the HPV vaccine.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey of HPV vaccine hesitancy was administered to parents of 13-15-year-old girls. The study employed a stratified sampling method, and the survey was conducted via an online questionnaire. We conducted multivariable logistic regression analysis to explore the factors influencing parents' intention to vaccinate their daughters.

Results: A total of 3,178 participants were included in this study. Only 6.6% of parents had administered HPV vaccinations to their daughters and 72.9% expressed intention to vaccinate their daughters against HPV before she was 15 years old. Among the 5 C psychological factors, higher confidence and higher collective responsibility are positive factors that encourage parents to vaccinate their daughters, while a higher knowledge also helps to enhance vaccination willingness. In contrast, concerns about the vaccine's adverse reactions are barriers. Furthermore, complacency, calculation, economic status, and divorce status only affect mothers. Higher complacency and calculation act as hindering factors, whereas better economic status and divorced serve as positive factors.

Discussion: Certain factors that affect parents' intention to vaccinate their daughters were identified. Addressing these issues allows public health departments and health care workers to more clearly determine the direction for enhancing health education interventions. These findings are significant for increasing parents' awareness of HPV and its related diseases, as well as the HPV vaccine, and for improving the vaccination rates of children against HPV.