Effect of a school-based tutorial about the HPV vaccine for female middle school students on the HPV vaccination rate in Japan: A prospective cohort study.
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BACKGROUND: In Japan, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) rescinded recommendations for including the HPV vaccine in the national immunization program in 2013, which led to a drop in the vaccination rate to < 1 %. Despite the MHLW's decision to reinstate the recommendations in 2022, the vaccination rate has remained low. The present study aimed to assess the effect of a school-based vaccine tutorial on the HPV vaccination rate in female middle-school students in Japan. METHODS: This prospective cohort study, conducted in Higashimurayama, Tokyo from September 2023 to March 2024, enrolled female students aged 13-14 years in seven middle schools. Four and three schools formed a tutorial group and control group, respectively. The difference between the pre- and post-intervention vaccination rates was assessed using a questionnaire. Additionally, knowledge about the HPV vaccine and the rate of students' discussion of the vaccine with their family were analyzed. RESULTS: In total, 123 and 175 students from the tutorial and control group, respectively, were analyzed. The pre-intervention vaccination rate was 9.8 % and 7.4 % (p = 0.476), and the post-intervention vaccination rate was 16.3 % and 9.7 %, indicating a corresponding increase of 7.2 % and 2.5 % (p = 0.075). The knowledge increased to a greater degree in the tutorial group. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed an increasing trend in the HPV vaccination rate resulting from the school-based tutorial although the difference was not statistically significant. School-based tutorials can increase students' knowledge about the vaccine and enable them to make informed decisions about vaccination.