Abstract 21: Awareness and Acceptance of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination and Associated Factors Among HIV- Infected Mothers of Girls Aged 9 to 14 Years in Lagos, Nigeria (Aware-HPVac Study)

Abstract Purpose: Despite the availability of effective HPV vaccines, vaccination uptake remains low in most resource-limited settings, including Nigeria. This is especially concerning among HIV-infected mothers who are at a higher risk of persistent HPV infections and HPV-related diseases. The Aware-HPVac Study assessed the awareness and acceptance of HPV vaccination among HIV-infected mothers of vaccine- eligible girls in Lagos, Nigeria, and identified associated socio-demographic factors influencing vaccine awareness and acceptance among these mothers. Methods: The study is a multicenter cross-sectional study conducted among HIV-infected mothers attending the adult antiretroviral clinics of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria, between June and November 2024. Relevant socio- demographic characteristics and clinical information were collected, and factors independently associated with HPV vaccine awareness and acceptance were identified using the binary logistic regression model. The strengths of associations were calculated using adjusted odds ratios (ORs) at 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Results: Up to 63.7% of participants were aware of the HPV vaccine, while 88.0% accepted or were willing to vaccinate their eligible daughters. Having up to the tertiary level of education (adjusted OR=1.93, 95%CI: 1.07–3.50) and previous cervical cancer screening (adjusted OR=5.37, 95%CI: 3.02– 9.56) were independently associated with HPV vaccine awareness, and which, in turn, is related to acceptance of vaccination (adjusted OR=6.85, 95%CI: 2.77–16.95) in HIV-infected mothers of vaccine- eligible girls. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that while HPV vaccine acceptance among HIV-infected mothers is high, significant gaps in awareness persist. Furthermore, the study showed that having up to the tertiary level of education and previous cervical cancer screening were independently associated with HPV vaccine awareness, which is, in turn, associated with HPV vaccination acceptance. These findings could provide a roadmap for designing effective public health strategies to combat cervical cancer in Nigeria and other resource-limited settings through educational campaigns, integration of the mother-daughter dyad of cervical cancer prevention into HIV care, and targeted interventions to address HPV vaccine hesitancy. Citation Format: Kehinde S. Okunade, Ayokunle M. Olumodeji, Yusuf A. Oshodi, Ayomide I. Fayinto, Iyabo Y. Ademuyiwa, Hameed Adelabu, Rose I. Anorlu. Awareness and Acceptance of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination and Associated Factors Among HIV- Infected Mothers of Girls Aged 9 to 14 Years in Lagos, Nigeria (Aware-HPVac Study) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 13th Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research; 2025 Sep 16. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2025;34(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 21.