Background/Objective: This study aimed to investigate children’s’ and parents’attitudes and knowledge about HPV (human papilloma virus) following introductionof gender neutral HPV vaccination in the national immunization program (NIP) inSweden. An evaluation of a tailored information package for parents and childrenlaunched by the Public Health Agency (PHAS) alongside the introduction of genderneutral HPV vaccination was also performed.
Method: In total, 276 parents and 206 children from 22 School Health Servicesresponded to a web-based survey, spring 2021 to January 2022.
Result: Overall, parents (78%) perceived HPV vaccination to be of importance fortheir child’s health. About half of the participating children and two thirds of theparents had used the tailored information package for the HPV vaccination. The factsheet was mostly used by parents (55%) and children (20%) and also perceived as easyto understand (99% and 68% respectively). For both children and parents the schoolnurse (70% respectively) was the primary source for information. The teacher (59%)was also a common source of information of HPV vaccination for the children.
Conclusion: The school health nurse is essential for informing about HPV vaccinationfor both children and parents. There is a need to strengthen the knowledge regardingHPV vaccination among teachers as they also are a key source of information for themajority of the children. Additional interventions are needed to support parents inmaking informed decisions for HPV vaccinations.POSTER 1Page 1