Health Communication Strategies Used by Health Care Workers on HPV Vaccine Uptake for Cervical Cancer Prevention among Caregivers of Young Adolescent Girls Aged 10 -14 Years in Kajiado County
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47604/ijcpr.3622Keywords:
Health Communication, HPV Vaccine Uptake, Cervical Cancer, CaregiversAbstract
Purpose: This study sought to establish health communication strategies used by Health Care Workers on HPV vaccine uptake for cervical cancer prevention among caregivers of young adolescent girls aged 10 -14 years in Kajiado County.
Methodology: The study applied a mixed method research design. It combined qualitative and quantitative study approaches. This study utilized Health Belief Model (HBM) and Protection Motivation Theory (PMT). The population of the study included all the parents/caregivers of the young adolescent girls 10 – 14 years in Kajiado County who passed the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The study adopted multi-stage sampling to select the respondents and the location of study. Purposive sampling was applied to choose Kajiado County. Four out of all the 5 sub counties/constituencies namely; Kajiado Central, Kajiado South, Kajiado East and Kajiado West were included in the study.
Findings: The study found that messages create awareness that women can take control of their reproductive health situation with regard to cervical cancer prevention. The findings also showed that creating awareness on cervical cancer and HPV vaccines by healthcare workers can reduce HPV vaccine misconceptions amongst caregivers/guardians. This can also lead to an increase in HPV vaccine uptake.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: HPV vaccination programs should focus on raising awareness about cervical cancer disease prevention, including information on HPV vaccination, screening, and healthy lifestyle choices. The study therefore recommended that there is need to intensify health communication awareness programs that specifically target adolescent girls.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Samson Chege Thuo, Dr. G. Musuruve Inimah, Dr. Mary Amatu
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