Abstract

Background: Little is known about acceptability of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine among parents of adolescents from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in Australia. This study aimed to explore the knowledge and attitudes of parents from Arabic backgrounds towards HPV vaccination offered to their children in the national school-based vaccination program. Methods: Qualitative interviews were conducted in Western Sydney, with parents of adolescents from Arabic backgrounds. Recruitment was via informal personal contacts and passive snowballing. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted in Arabic. These were audio-recorded, transcribed, and translated into English. Thematic analysis was used to identify emerging themes. Results: Commonly identified themes across fifteen interviews included: (1) lack of awareness and knowledge of HPV and its vaccination, (2) awareness and understanding of the government vaccination information sheet, (3) parents’ preferences for information provision, (4) the role of parents’ religious beliefs in forming attitudes about HPV vaccination, and (5) lost opportunities to educate parents about HPV vaccination during general practitioner (GP) visits. Conclusion: The findings point to the need to address cultural, language, and communication barriers to improve awareness and acceptability of HPV vaccination in the Arabic community. Educational strategies should be tailored to this community based on their specific information needs and preferences.

Highlights

  • Institute (equivalent of Themes: We identified five key themes highlighting the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of parents from an Arabic background in Australia towards the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine offered to their adolescents: (1) lack of awareness and knowledge of HPV and HPV

  • We found that Australian parents of Arabic background had poor understanding about HPV and HPV vaccination

  • The research findings point to the need to address language, cultural, and communication barriers in order to improve the awareness and acceptability of the HPV vaccine among the Arabic community in Australia

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Summary

Introduction

Little is known about the acceptability of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine among parents of adolescents from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds [1,2]. It is essential for public health prevention programs to target new immigrants who may have not been vaccinated against HPV, using culturally sensitive approaches. HPV infection is a sexually transmitted disease that affects both males and females, which can spread through genital contact [3,4]. Little is known about acceptability of the human papillomavirus (HPV). Vaccine among parents of adolescents from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in Australia.

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