Human papillomavirus vaccination in rural Malawi: Identifying factors associated with vaccine uptake using a community-based household survey

Uptake of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is suboptimal globally. Effective interventions are needed to meet the global goal of vaccinating 90% of girls against HPV, and this requires a robust understanding of barriers to vaccine uptake. Using a household survey in three communities of Malawi with parents/guardians of girls aged 9–13 years, we collected and analyzed data about intervention-amenable factors hypothesized to be associated with girls’ HPV vaccination status. The 299 parent/guardian respondents provided information on 382 girls aged 9–13 years, of whom 39.0% (<i>n</i> = 149) had received ≥ 1 dose of the HPV vaccine. More than half of parents/guardians were concerned about the HPV vaccine’s safety. Greater HPV vaccine hesitancy was associated with having an unvaccinated daughter in adjusted multilevel models (aOR 0.69 [95% CI 0.50–0.93]). Higher odds of being vaccinated were found among daughters of respondents with greater knowledge about the HPV vaccine and who knew someone who had cervical cancer. Speaking with more people about cervical cancer/HPV vaccination, and perceiving that other parents are vaccinating their daughters against HPV, were strongly associated with daughters’ HPV vaccination status (aOR 2.03 [95% CI 1.59–2.62] and 3.68 [95% CI 1.97–7.18, respectively). Most parents/guardians had not experienced, or did not anticipate experiencing, challenges accessing HPV vaccination services, but those who did also had daughters with lower odds of vaccination. Interventions that leverage social networks and norms, increase confidence in the vaccine’s safety, and work to improve access to HPV vaccination services, may increase coverage of the HPV vaccine in Malawi.