Peer-reviewed article
Perceptions, knowledge, and access to the HPV vaccine among parents and healthcare providers in South Quito, Ecuador in 2025: A qualitative study.
Kallin C Hermann, Alejandro Andrés Peralta Chiriboga, Kevin T Fuji, Anne L O'Keefe, María Sol Jurado Vaca et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This qualitative study explores why some parents in South Quito, Ecuador hesitate to vaccinate their children against human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes most cervical cancers. Researchers interviewed 32 parents and 9 healthcare providers to understand their knowledge, concerns, and barriers to vaccination. Key barriers included lack of information, fear of side effects, and confusion about vaccination age guidelines, while healthcare providers often blamed parental carelessness. The study found that school-based vaccination programmes need better support and that education efforts should address both parents and providers.
Key points
- Parents and healthcare providers lack knowledge linking HPV to cancer in men, despite the vaccine's protection for both sexes
- Fear of vaccine side effects is a significant contributor to vaccine hesitancy among parents
- Parents identify lack of information as their greatest barrier, while healthcare providers perceive parental carelessness as the main obstacle
- HPV vaccination is delivered through schools, but both parents and providers feel schools need better institutional support
- Age guidelines for vaccination are confusing to parents, creating an additional barrier to uptake
Limitations
This is a qualitative study based on interviews with a small sample (32 parents, 9 providers) in one city, so findings cannot be generalised to all of Ecuador or other countries. The study describes barriers and perceptions but does not measure actual vaccination rates or test interventions to overcome the identified barriers.
Abstract
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is estimated to cause 99.7% of all cervical cancers and is the main cause of anal cancer. Despite global progress, Ecuador has one of the highest cervical cancer mortality rates in Latin America, with fluctuating vaccine uptake since its introduction for girls in 2014 and expansion to boys in 2024. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents of vaccine-eligible children and healthcare providers (HCPs) in Quito. The interviews explored HPV knowledge, perceptions, and access to vaccination. The transcripts were analysed thematically. Forty-one participants (32 parents, 9 HCPs) were interviewed. Eight themes emerged: (1) parents desire more information about HPV, (2) neither parents nor HCPs associate HPV with cancer in men, (3) mothers have more knowledge than fathers, (4) fear of side effects contributes to vaccine hesitancy, (5) fear of sexual promiscuity does not influence vaccination, (6) HPV vaccine administration is conducted at schools, but parents and providers desire better support from these schools, (7) parents perceive a lack of information as their greatest barrier, while HCPs perceive carelessness among parents, and (8) age guidelines for vaccination can be confusing. HPV vaccine uptake is shaped by individual and system-level barriers. Aligning provider-parent perspectives and strengthening school- and community-based education may improve vaccination.