The Philippines: Young men and women's attitudes toward HPV vaccination for future sons and daughters

Few studies have assessed adult men and women's attitudes toward HPV vaccination for both daughters and sons, especially in countries disproportionately affected by HPV. The purpose of this study was to explore Filipino men and women's attitudes toward adolescent male and female HPV vaccination and to examine correlates of differential vaccine acceptance for adolescent males and females. Methods: A convenience sample of men and women (n=578) in the Philippines completed selfadministered surveys which assessed HPV vaccine acceptance for future sons and daughters. Results: Approximately 74% of participants were accepting of the vaccine for future sons and daughters. A comparison of scale ratings revealed that 14% rated acceptance higher for a daughter and 14% rated acceptance higher for a son. Participants who had nonequivalent ratings of acceptance in favor of a son had slightly fewer years of education and lesser odds of indicating that protection from HPV was influential in their vaccination decision. Participants who gave a nonequivalent rating of acceptance in favor of a daughter had lesser odds of indicating that a partner would be influential in their vaccination decision and, interestingly, had lesser odds of believing that the vaccine would protect against cervical cancer. Conclusions: These findings reveal that a "one size fits all" promotion campaign will not be optimally effective in the Philippines. An optimal HPV vaccination campaigns in this population should involve targeted messages for mothers and fathers and should be attentive to factors that uniquely affect uptake for their sons and daughters.