P-610. HPV vaccine knowledge, attitudes and practices among healthcare providers before introduction to the national schedule, Almaty, Kazakhstan - 2023

Abstract Background Healthcare providers play a vital role in the success of new vaccine uptake. In 2024, Kazakhstan will introduce the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine into the immunization schedule after a 2013 pilot was unsuccessful due largely to widespread misinformation. We aimed to establish baseline knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to HPV vaccination among providers to prepare for vaccine rollout. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study in April-May 2023 of healthcare providers responsible for vaccinations in all 34 polyclinics that conduct vaccinations in Almaty. Providers completed anonymous questionnaires in group sessions. KAP domain scores >70% were considered adequate. We used multinomial logistic regression to assess factors associated with intent to recommend HPV vaccines; we presented odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). Results Of 832 participants, 68% were nurses and 41% had at least one < 18-year-old child (Table 1). One-third (33%) had adequate knowledge about HPV; specifically, 71% correctly believed HPV is not airborne, and 22% knew HPV infection is not currently curable. One-fifth (20%) had adequate attitudes towards HPV; and 39% knew that HPV vaccines don’t cause infertility. On questions related to routine childhood immunizations, 61% could not correctly dispel common myths. One-quarter (28%) would recommend the HPV vaccine to patients and to their own or friends’ children. The odds of recommending the HPV vaccine were lower for nurses compared to physicians (OR=0.5, 95%CI=0.3, 0.9), for providers with inadequate HPV knowledge compared to adequate (0.6, 95%CI=0.4, 1.0), and for those who believed common myths compared to those who didn’t (0.6, 95%CI=0.4, 1.0) (Table 2). The odds of recommending the vaccine were higher for providers with adequate attitudes towards HPV vaccine myths compared to those without (1.4, 95%CI=0.8, 2.5) and for those with adequate knowledge of childhood vaccine safety compared to those without (2.3, 95%CI= 1.3, 4.0). Conclusion We found suboptimal KAP towards HPV vaccines. Results demonstrate the need to prioritize the rollout of a vaccine education, communication, and advocacy strategy to healthcare providers before the national HPV vaccine rollout. Disclosures Ulyana Kirpicheva, M.Sc. in FIeld Epidemiology, Abbott Laboratories: Grant/Research Support