Muslim parents’ knowledge, attitudes, willingness, and barriers toward HPV vaccination for their children: A qualitative study

Objectives Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the main risk factor for developing cervical cancer, which ranks as the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide. Most Arab countries lack both HPV education and national HPV vaccination programs. However, there are limited qualitative studies exploring Arab parents’ perspectives on HPV vaccination. The objective of this qualitative study was to explore the knowledge, attitudes, willingness, and barriers to HPV vaccination among parents in Oman, a country in the Middle Eastern North Africa region. Methods Fifty-one parents, including 25 fathers and 26 mothers, were conveniently invited from four governorates in Oman to participate in eight single-sex focus group discussions and seven in-depth individual interviews. The interview guide was content-validated and piloted. Thematic analysis was conducted to analyze the qualitative data. Results Six major themes emerged. The results indicated that most parents lacked knowledge about HPV infection and vaccination. Parents expressed willingness to consent to HPV vaccination for their children if recommended by healthcare providers and endrosed by the Ministry of Health. They also suggested that both girls and boys should be vaccinated. However, they had concerns about the vaccine’s safety and side effects and wanted assurance of its protection against HPV infection. Additionally, parents identified cultural and religious beliefs as barriers to vaccine acceptance, which could be mitigated by educational interventions. There was almost universal agreement among parents on the need for comprehensive HPV education from healthcare centers, schools, or through HPV educational campaigns. Conclusion Muslim parents showed positive attitudes and willingness toward HPV vaccination. The study highlights the need to create an HPV vaccination policy within the healthcare system, establish school-based HPV education programs and public HPV education campaigns, and support the implementation of a national HPV vaccination program in the Middle Eastern North Africa region for HPV elimination.