Abstract:
The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted
viruses worldwide and is associated with cervical cancer. Through research, a
prophylactic HPV vaccine has been developed and has proven effective in a number of
clinical trials. For a HPV vaccination program to be successfully implemented, parental
knowledge, preferences, perceptions and willingness to use the HPV vaccine are very
important and need to be assessed correctly. The main objective of this study was to
determine the knowledge on human papilloma virus and acceptability of the Human
Papilloma Virus vaccine among mothers seeking maternal-child health services at
Mbagathi District Hospital, Nairobi. This was a cross-sectional descriptive hospitalbased
study that utilized both qualitative and quantitative methods. The study was
conducted among mothers seeking maternal and child health services in Mbagathi
District Hospital. A total of 354 study subjects were selected using random sampling
method. Quantitative data was obtained by use of structured questionnaires that were
administered to the mothers while qualitative data was collected through focus group
discussions. Quantitative data was analyzed using Stata version 11.0 (Stata Corporation,
College Station, TX, USA), and NVIVO 9 software was used for thematic analysis of
qualitative data. A total of 348 mothers were included in the study, six mothers were left
out of the study due to missing values in their questionnaires. Of the respondents, 100%
reported having a general knowledge of STDs. The mean knowledge score on risk
factors and consequences of HPV infection was 12.5 with a range of between 0 and 18.
A total of 218 women (62.6% (95% CI: 57.5 – 67.8%) reported having heard of the HPV
vaccine. Overall, 67.8% women said they would vaccinate their adolescent children
against HPV. Some of the factors reported to hinder utilization of the vaccine included
cost, side effects and that the vaccine would lead to teenage promiscuity. In conclusion,
these findings offered insight on understanding the beliefs about and identifying the
barriers of HPV vaccine use; how it will influence the effectiveness of the vaccine andits potential impact in reducing cervical cancer incidence in Kenya.The study
recommends the need to educate the public on HPV, Cervical Cancer, and the HPV
vaccine. The government should subsidize the cost of the vaccine and as much as
possible to have it accessible to the entire population through the Kenya Expanded
Program on Immunization. This study will significantly contribute to the formulation of
the Ministry of Health policy guidelines on cancer prevention which have not factored
in HPV