"Who will take the blame?": understanding the reasons why Romanian mothers decline HPV vaccination for their...

Because Romania has the highest incidence of cervical cancer in Europe, in 2008 a HPV vaccination campaign was introduced targeting 10-11 year old girls. However, only 2.5% of the eligible girls were given parental for vaccination. Campaign failure makes it important to look for possible reasons and investigate mothers' attitudes and perceptions of the HPV vaccine. Three focus groups and 11 interviews were conducted with mothers from urban areas. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed with thematic analysis. Results show as main reasons for not vaccinating their daughters perceiving the vaccine as risky, the belief that the vaccine represents an experiment that uses their daughters as guinea pigs, the belief that the vaccine embodies a conspiracy theory that aims to reduce the world's population and general mistrust in the ineffective health system. Mothers stated they would need clear, factual information about the HPV vaccine and its link to cervical cancer in order to motivate them to accept it for their daughters. The study offers insight into the beliefs and attitudes towards the vaccine and provides ideas for structuring future health communication campaigns regarding the HPV vaccine.