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Awareness and acceptance of human papillomavirus vaccine in the Middle East: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression of 159 studies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 December 2024

Bugra Taygun Gulle*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Turkey
Pinar Kiran
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Turkey
Saadet Goksu Celik
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Turkey
Zeynep Sedef Varol
Affiliation:
Communicable Diseases Unit, Izmir Provincial Health Directorate, Izmir, Turkey
Neslisah Siyve
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Turkey
Ahmet Naci Emecen
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Turkey
Hilal Duzel
Affiliation:
Izmir Kemalpaşa District Health Directorate, Public Health Department, Izmir, Turkey
*
Corresponding author: Bugra Taygun Gulle; Email: bugrataygun.gulle@deu.edu.tr
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Abstract

Cervical cancer, closely linked to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, is a major global health concern. Our study aims to fill the gap in understanding HPV vaccine awareness and acceptance in the Middle East, where national immunization programs are often lacking and cultural perceptions hinder acceptance. This systematic review and meta-analysis adhered to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. A comprehensive literature search across several databases was conducted on 5 September 2023. We included quantitative studies on HPV vaccine awareness and acceptance in Middle Eastern countries. Data extraction and quality assessment were conducted independently by multiple reviewers to ensure accuracy. Statistical analyses, including subgroup analyses, were performed using R to calculate pooled estimates, assess heterogeneity, and publication bias. We reviewed 159 articles from 15 Middle Eastern countries, focusing on 93,730 participants, predominantly female and healthcare workers. HPV vaccine awareness was found to be 41.7% (95% CI 37.4%–46.1%), with higher awareness among healthcare workers. The pooled acceptance rate was 45.6% (95% CI 41.3%–50.1%), with similar rates between healthcare and non-healthcare workers. Our study highlights the critical need for increased HPV vaccine awareness and acceptance in the Middle East, emphasizing the importance of integrating the vaccine into national immunization programs and addressing cultural and religious factors to improve public health outcomes.

Information

Type
Original Paper
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press
Figure 0

Table 1. HPV vaccine awareness and acceptance in the Middle East countries

Figure 1

Figure 1. Flow diagram of article selection.

Figure 2

Table 2. Meta-regression of HPV vaccine awareness

Figure 3

Figure 2. HPV vaccine awareness by country.

Figure 4

Figure 3. HPV vaccine acceptance by country.

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