Attitudes toward an HPV vaccine for condyloma acuminata and willingness to undergo vaccination among STD clinic attendees in China: Focus on STI prevention with HPV vaccine.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Condyloma acuminata (CA) is a common, and recurrent sexually transmitted disease (STD) that greatly contributes to direct health care costs and has a substantial psychosocial impact. Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination (containing L1 protein for HPV types 6 and 11) effectively controls CA. OBJECTIVES: We investigated attitudes toward the HPV vaccine for CA and willingness to undergo vaccination among STD clinic attendees in China. METHODS: Attendees at STD clinics at two selected hospitals in Guangdong and Jiangsu Provinces from May to September 2017 were requested to complete a self-administered questionnaire for this cross-sectional study. RESULTS: The participants' median age was 28 years (IQR 24.0-34.0), and the sex ratio was balanced; 63.5% were from Guangdong, 36.5% were from Jiangsu, and 44.5% had a history of CA. The vaccine acceptance rate was high among the participants (85.8%,235/274) to whom the HPV vaccine for CA was available, especially among those who had heard of CA (89.0%, AOR = 3.14, 95% CI 1.29-7.63, p = 0.0114). 95 (34.7%) of 274 participants had a positive attitude toward the HPV vaccine for CA. STD clinic attendees who had heard of the connection between HPV and CA (AOR = 2.56, 95% CI 1.31-5.00, p = 0.0060), had heard of the HPV vaccines or cervical cancer vaccines (AOR = 1.90, 95% CI 1.02-3.54, p = 0.0444) and had ever proactively discussed CA or the vaccine with others (AOR = 1.95, 95% CI1.00-3.79, p = 0.0488) had better attitudes toward the HPV vaccine for CA. Over half of the participants (52.5%) expected the price of the HPV vaccine for CA to be under $90. CONCLUSION: The acceptance of the HPV vaccine for CA was high among STD clinic attendees in China, and the participants' self-perceived knowledge of CA and HPV was associated with better attitudes toward the HPV vaccine for CA. Education to improve knowledge is vital for reducing vaccine hesitancy.