Abstract 57: Knowledge and Recommendation of HPV Vaccination Among Providers Involved in Cervical Cancer Prevention Activities in Africa

Abstract Purpose: Although cervical cancer burden in Africa is among the highest worldwide, HPV vaccination coverage remains low in this region. While provider recommendation is recognized as a key driver of HPV vaccination uptake globally, little is known about the knowledge and practices of African clinicians with regard to HPV vaccine. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2021-2022 among providers involved in cervical cancer prevention activities in Africa. Through an online survey administered by email, providers were invited to report the availability of HPV vaccine in their practice, whether they recommend HPV vaccine, and for those who did not recommend it, the reasons for not recommending it. Participants’ knowledge about HPV vaccine was assessed through three questions. Results: Of the 104 providers from 18 African countries who responded to the survey, less than half (43.3%) reported having received prior training on how to educate their patients and the community about HPV vaccination, 38.8% indicated that HPV vaccine was available at the facility where they work. Most respondents (83.7%) reported that they recommend HPV vaccination, and this recommendation was frequently made to girls only (82.4%). Among those who did not recommend the HPV vaccine, unavailability of the vaccine (47.1%), lack of effective communication tools and information to give to patients (35.3%), and lack of adequate training (29.4%) were the most commonly reported reasons. Only 16.0% of respondents provided adequate responses to all the knowledge questions. Conclusion: Despite a higher rate of HPV vaccine recommendation among providers in Africa, providers’ knowledge about HPV vaccine is limited and availability of the vaccine is reportedly low in the region. To increase HPV vaccine uptake in Africa, further training to improve providers’ knowledge and adapted educational material to facilitate communication with their patients and the community is needed. Ongoing efforts to make the HPV vaccine widely available in the region should be reinforced. Citation Format: Joel Fokom Domgue, Mala Pande, Florence Manjuh, Robert Yu, Joseph Kamgno, Sanjay Shete. Knowledge and Recommendation of HPV Vaccination Among Providers Involved in Cervical Cancer Prevention Activities in Africa [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 11th Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research; Closing the Research-to-Implementation Gap; 2023 Apr 4-6. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 57.