HPV vaccination coverage in German girls: results of the KiGGS study: first follow-up (KiGGS Wave 1)

• Published in: Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz Vol. 57; no. 7; pp. 869 - 877
• Main Authors: Poethko-Müller, C, Buttmann-Schweiger, N
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: German
• Published: Germany 01.07.2014
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Adolescent; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Germany - epidemiology; Health Status; Health Status Indicators; Health Surveys - statistics & numerical data; Health Surveys - trends; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Mass Vaccination - utilization; Papillomavirus Infections - epidemiology; Papillomavirus Infections - prevention & control; Papillomavirus Vaccines - therapeutic use; Prevalence; Risk Factors; School Health Services - utilization; Social Class; Germany
• ISSN: 1437-1588
• DOI: 10.1007/s00103-014-1987-3

In Germany, vaccination against HPV infection has been recommended for girls aged 12-17 years since 2007. The aim of this paper was to provide an overview of the current status and determinants of HPV vaccination uptake in Germany. Analyses included data from 14- to 17-year-old girls (n =1,337) of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents - First Follow-up Survey (KiGGS Wave 1). Standardized telephone interviews included questions for girls on the number of HPV vaccine doses and visits to a gynecologist. Parents were asked about their socioeconomic status (SES) and the girls' participation in the J1 adolescent health check-up. Descriptive analyses of the HPV vaccination status with respect to social, demographic, and health-care utilization factors were performed. Factors associated with vaccination were identified and odds ratios (OR) were estimated by means of logistic regression analysis. The prevalence of vaccination with at least one HPV vaccine dose was 52.6% (95% confidence interval 48.5-56.6). Three-dose HPV vaccination coverage was 39.5% (35.3-43.9). Vaccine uptake increased with age, was higher in girls with middle and low SES compared with high SES, with residence in eastern Germany, in those who had already seen a gynecologist, and who participated in the J1. Multivariable logistic regression revealed a twofold increased chance of being vaccinated for girls with middle SES (OR 1.9) compared with high-SES girls and for those who had yet seen a gynecologist (OR 2.1). School-based vaccination programs and multi-tier vaccination campaigns have led to high vaccination rates in some European and non-European countries. In Germany, however, such high vaccination rates have not been achieved. To fully realize the potential of HPV vaccinations to reduce HPV-related cancer incidence at the population level, vaccination coverage in Germany must be increased. In absence of school-based vaccination programs, medical doctors should use each visit to check and complete the girl's vaccination status.