Association Between a Mother's Cervical Cancer Screening and Child's Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Status

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Vaccinology

Background:

• Cervical cancer (CC) screening is a crucial preventive health measure for women.
• Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is vital for preventing HPV-related cancers in children and adolescents.
• Understanding factors influencing HPV vaccination uptake is essential for public health strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between maternal CC screening status and child HPV vaccination uptake.
• To determine if child sex or social deprivation index (SDI) modify this association.

Main Methods:

• A national cohort of 52,919 linked mother-child pairs was analyzed using electronic health record data.
• Social deprivation index (SDI) and child sex were used as moderating variables.
• Analyses included the whole sample, stratification by SDI quartile, and stratification by SDI quartile and child sex.

Main Results:

• Maternal CC screening was positively associated with increased odds of child HPV vaccination (AOR 1.39, 95% CI 1.32-1.47).
• Neither child sex nor SDI significantly modified the association between maternal CC screening and child HPV vaccination.
• No significant differences in HPV vaccination odds were observed based on SDI quartiles or child sex.

Conclusions:

• Increasing CC screening rates among mothers may be an effective strategy to boost child HPV vaccination uptake.
• Integrated care approaches focusing on both maternal CC screening and child HPV vaccination may be more effective than isolated interventions.