Uptake of the human papillomavirus vaccine among young Malaysian women : does a physician's recommendation play an important role

With a high incidence of cervical cancer and a low prevalence of screening for the disease, mass vaccination of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has the potential to reduce the burden of cervical cancer in Malaysia. While much of the focus has been onvaccinating school-aged girls, the factors that drive vaccination among eligible young women in Malaysia have not been extensively studied. The purpose of this study is to determine the proportion of the sample that received a vaccination, among those who recall having a recommendation for the vaccine during a visit with a physician in the past two years. A survey was carried out in a private university in Malaysia, which recruited a convenience sample 223 participants who were female Malaysian students, aged between 18 and 26 years old. 70.9% of the respondents reported that they had at least one visit with the physician in the past two years, among which 20.9% recalled that they received a recommendation for the HPV vaccine during their visit. 66.7% of respondents who recalled a recommendation were vaccinated with the HPV vaccine. The prevalence of HPV vaccination in this study population is 18.4%. A physician's recommendation may serve as an introduction and/or encouraging factor for HPV vaccine acceptance among young women in Malaysia. However, further research is required to understand the role physicians can play in increasing vaccination rates in this population.

Author dc:creator

• Rajaram, Nadia N.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Breslau, Naomi
• Pathak, Dorothy
• Gardiner, Joseph

• Women--Health
• Physician and patient
• Cervix uteri--Cancer--Prevention
• Papillomavirus diseases
• Vaccination
• Papillomaviruses
• Decision making

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

etd:1085
isbn:9781303066320
isbn:1303066327
oclc:931732039
umi:1537099
local:Rajaram_grad.msu_0128N_12012

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:d.lib.msu.edu:etd_1085