Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceptions of African Parents in New Zealand Towards the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine.

Introduction Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a well-documented cause of cervical cancer, leading to significant mortality that may be decreased through screening and the administration of HPV vaccination. Our understanding of New Zealand immigrants' knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of the HPV vaccine is limited. Preliminary research shows that immigrants have low knowledge and negative perceptions of the HPV vaccine and that cervical cancer and HPV awareness was low among African parents. This study examines the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of African parents in New Zealand towards the HPV vaccine. Method A cross-sectional study of 100 African parents was conducted in New Zealand on a randomly selected sample from different African community groups. A self-report questionnaire was used for data collection. Results Of the 100 parents who completed the survey, 51 (51%) were women and 49 (49%) were men. Only 45 (45%) of the parents had a high level of knowledge of the HPV vaccine, while 44 (44%) had a low level of knowledge and 11 (11%) had only moderate knowledge. Most of the parents 75 (75%) had a positive attitude toward the HPV vaccine and 71 (71%) had a positive perception of the utilization of the vaccine. A positive relationship was identified between the level of knowledge and attitude (gamma = 0.66, p-value = 0.02) and between the level of knowledge and perception (gamma = 0.73, p-value < 0.001). Parental attitudes towards HPV vaccination uptake were largely influenced by (i) their level of education 88 (88%), (ii) their concerns about the vaccine's adverse effects 85 (85%), (iii) inadequate knowledge and information about the vaccine 92 (92%), and (iv) public health concerns 89 (89%). Conclusion The level of knowledge of the HPV vaccine among 44 (44%) participants in this study was low, though most parents had positive attitudes and perceptions toward the HPV vaccine and were willing to allow their children to be vaccinated against HPV infection. Inadequate knowledge and concerns about the vaccine's adverse effects were some of the main factors influencing the parents' negative attitudes toward the uptake of the HPV vaccine and more education is needed among African parents to improve their knowledge of the HPV vaccine and to address their concerns about the adverse effects of the vaccine. Improved knowledge and education of the HPV vaccine may promote higher vaccine uptake among African parents.