Are Fathers Being Left Behind? Gender Differences in Parental HPV Vaccination Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Sons'...

Despite the critical role fathers play in family health decisions, most research on HPV vaccination focuses predominantly on mothers. This study examines gender differences in HPV knowledge and vaccination attitudes among Greek parents, addressing a significant gap in the literature.

A cross-sectional study using convenience sampling was conducted in waiting rooms of public primary healthcare settings in the Larissa prefecture of central Greece, between September and December 2024. Of 250 distributed questionnaires, 208 were returned (response rate: 83%), of which 192 were eligible for analysis. The analysis compares responses from fathers (n = 42) and mothers (n = 150) regarding HPV knowledge, intentions to vaccinate their sons, and general vaccine attitudes; no explicit restriction to one respondent per family was applied. Statistical comparisons employed chi-square tests, Fisher's exact test, and binary logistic regression.

Fathers demonstrated significantly lower HPV awareness compared to mothers (42.9% vs. 64.0%, χ² = 10.907, p = 0.004). Vaccination intentions for sons were similar between groups (fathers: 85.7%, mothers: 85.3%, p = 0.540). No statistically robust association between HPV awareness and vaccination intention was identified in either group, likely reflecting the high overall intention rates and limited outcome variability. Binary logistic regression identified female sex as the only significant independent predictor of HPV awareness (OR = 2.26, 95% CI: 1.12-4.58, p = 0.024).

While fathers exhibit significantly lower HPV knowledge than mothers, they demonstrate equal willingness to vaccinate their sons. These findings suggest that knowledge gaps do not necessarily translate to vaccine hesitancy, but highlight the need for targeted, father-inclusive health education interventions. Public health programs should actively engage fathers in HPV vaccination discussions to capitalize on their positive vaccination intentions while addressing their information needs.