Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41966219›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of health policy and management2026

Religion, Politics, and Vaccines: Elaborating the Integrative Public Policy Acceptance (IPAC) Framework Through HPV Vaccine Program Acceptance Among Religious Leaders in Bangladesh.

Md Towhidur Rahman, Sultan Mahmood, Katie Attwell

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Article in International journal of health policy and management, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Md Towhidur RahmanGovernment of Bangladesh, Ministry of Public Administration, Dhaka, Bangladesh.ORCID 0000-0001-8423-9374
Sultan MahmoodShuHaRi Health, Dhaka, Bangladesh.ORCID 0000-0001-7585-9731
Katie AttwellVaxPolLab, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-0366-2160

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn October 2023, Bangladesh introduced a free, single-dose human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for girls aged 9-14 through its national vaccination program to prevent cervical cancer, the second most common cancer among Bangladeshi females, caused by the HPV. Although vaccine hesitancy was not a significant issue before the COVID-19 pandemic, experiences from that pandemic and global literature suggest that the population's uptake of this vaccine may face barriers due to concerns related to reproductive health, fertility, and cultural and religious beliefs. This is particularly relevant in a country where Islam is the state religion, 91% of the population is Muslim, and religious leaders hold significant influence over public opinion.

methodsBuilding upon the recently developed Integrative Public Policy Acceptance (IPAC) framework, this qualitative study explores the factors shaping religious leaders' support for the HPV vaccine informing their potential role in promoting it. Semi-structured interviews with leaders from Bangladesh's five main Islamic traditions were thematically analysed using NVivo 14 with inductive and deductive coding.

resultsIslamic religious leaders' varying support for HPV vaccinations in Bangladesh was influenced by their limited awareness of cervical cancer, as well as their religious and social concerns about ingredients, side effects and a fear of promoting promiscuity. Political ideologies also played a significant role, as leaders were less supportive of the program when they perceived the government as ideologically opposed to the beliefs or practices of their specific religious tradition.

conclusionThe study's contribution to the IPAC framework highlights the importance of political consensus in policy acceptance, explaining how partisanship and ideological differences impact public policy compliance. The findings underscore the need for health systems in Muslim majority countries to engage with religious authorities, build political inclusivity and consensus, and align health policies with religious and cultural values.

Indexed as

Immunization ProgramsIslamPapillomavirus VaccinesPatient Acceptance of Health CareVaccination HesitancyAdolescentAdultBangladeshChildFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPapillomavirus InfectionsPoliticsPublic PolicyPapillomavirus VaccinesBangladeshCervical CancerHPV VaccineMuslim Religious LeadersPolitical ConsensusVaccine Hesitancy

Identifiers

PMID41966219
PMCPMC12980027

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.