Vaccination against human papillomavirus in Brazilian schoolchildren: National Survey of School Health, 2019
Isabella de Alcântara Gomes Silva, Ana Carolina Micheletti Gomide Nogueira de Sá, Elton Junio Sady Prates, Déborah Carvalho Malta, Fernanda Penido Matozinhos, Tércia Moreira Ribeiro da Silva
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: to analyze the prevalence of schoolchildren vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV) and the reasons related to non-vaccination. METHOD: cross-sectional study, with data from the 2019 National Survey of School Health. The sample consisted of 160,721 students aged 13 to 17 years. The prevalence and confidence intervals (95%CI) of vaccinated adolescents were estimated according to location, sex, and administrative dependence of the school. The differences between the strata were evaluated with the Chi-square test. Adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) and 95%CI were estimated with the Poisson regression model. RESULTS: most of the students were vaccinated (62.9%), and the prevalence of girls (76.1%) was higher than that of boys (49.1%). The most prevalent reason for not vaccinating was "did not know they had to take" (46.8%), with the highest aPR in public schoolchildren in Brazil (1.6; 95%CI 1.5;1.7), from the Northeast region (1.2; 95%CI 1.1;1.2), and in students from private schools in the Northeast regions (1.1; 95%CI 1.1;1.2) and North (1.3; 95%CI 1.2;1.4). CONCLUSION: one out of every two Brazilian schoolchildren was vaccinated against HPV. Misinformation was a recurring reason for non-vaccination. The North and Northeast regions had the highest prevalence of non-vaccinated people, observed mainly in adolescents from public schools. HIGHLIGHTS: (1) 63% of Brazilian schoolchildren reported having been vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV).(2) In Brazil, in 2019, the prevalence of immunized girls was higher than that of boys.(3) Misinformation and fear are reasons for hesitating vaccination.(4) Social and health inequalities may reflect upon HPV vaccination.(5) Achieving the goal of 80% in HPV vaccination coverage is a challenge in Brazil.