Text messaging to improve uptake of human papillomavirus vaccination: a study among adolescent girls living with HIV in Kisumu county.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-2-2025

Publication Title

Ecancermedicalscience

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Despite the availability of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, its uptake remains sub-optimal across all the eligible age groups in sub-Saharan Africa countries. The vaccine hesitancy is driven partly by a lack of information regarding the safety and efficacy of the HPV vaccine. This study evaluated the use of text messaging to improve HPV vaccine uptake in most at-risk population of adolescent girls living with HIV.

METHODOLOGY: We enrolled 152 vaccine naïve adolescent girls and randomised them to either an intervention or a control arm. The intervention arm received weekly messages containing information about cervical cancer, HPV and HPV vaccination. The participants were follow-up for 6 months, with their vaccination status recorded at every clinic visit. The difference in the vaccination rates between the intervention and the control arms of the study was analysed using t-test to determine statistical significance.

RESULTS: Of the 151 participants who completed the study, 35 (23.2%) received the first dose of the HPV vaccine by the time the study closed at 6 months. Among these, 9 (25.7%) were respondents in the control arm and 26 (74.3%) in the intervention arm. This difference in HPV vaccine uptake was statistically significant

CONCLUSION: The use of short text messaging services is a viable communication channel for sharing information about HPV and HPV vaccination with both parents and adolescent girls. This approach has the potential to improve uptake of HPV vaccination.

Volume

19

First Page

2053

DOI

10.3332/ecancer.2053

ISSN

1754-6605

PubMed ID

41778181

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