Is there a lack of information on HPV vaccination given by health professionals to young women?

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this survey is to compare the main sources of information about vaccination against Human papillomavirus (HPV) of young women aged over-18 and under-18 years. METHODS: A multicenter study was carried out in Italy through the administration of a questionnaire. Univariate analyses were conducted to evaluate possible differences between age groups and different locations (chi-square test and Fisher test where possible). RESULTS: The sample consisted of 987 young women. The main sources of information about HPV vaccination are represented by magazines/books (23.1%) and TV (20.5%) for the over-18s, while for the under-18s the sources are general practitioners (22.6%) and pediatricians (15.4%). The over-18s with health professionals as parents consult mostly gynecologists (27.7%) and general practitioners (20.5%). DISCUSSION: This study highlights lack of information on HPV vaccination given by health professionals to young women and underlines the need to improve education about cervical cancer, prevention and HPV vaccination.