Schoolboys’ experiences of information and communication regarding the human papillomavirus vaccination

BACKGROUND: To maintain sufficient vaccination rates for human papillomavirus (HPV), it is important to understand the experiences of the target group. Boys were included in the Swedish National Immunization program for HPV more recently, in 2020, than girls, so boys' experiences of the program are relatively underexplored. This study therefore aimed to explore schoolboys' experiences of information and communication regarding HPV vaccination. METHODS: The study had a qualitative explorative design. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11-year-old schoolboys (n = 13) and analysed using interpretive description. RESULTS: Three themes were identified: information and communication about HPV vaccination in school, schoolboys' knowledge about HPV and the vaccination, and lack of family involvement in the HPV vaccination. CONCLUSION: Boys lacked knowledge about HPV vaccination, and parents only partly involved the boys in the vaccination process. There is a need for school nurses to be given clear guidelines for informing boys and parents about HPV, and for the teachers to be provided with health education regarding HPV vaccination.