HPV Vaccine-Related Myths Encountered in Romanian Clinical Practice: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Family Doctors

Dumitra, Gheorghe Gindrovel; Dogaru, Carmen-Adriana; Alexiu, Sandra Adalgiza; Sănduţu, Dorica; Berbecel, Cosmina; Curelea, Monica; Barbu, Cristina Vasilica; Deleanu, Anca; Grom, Adrian; Lup, Maria; Budiu, Ioana; Vesa, Mădălina; Proşa, Florin; Ştefănescu, Daniela; Surugiu, Roxana; Popescu, Ştefana Oana; Lăcătuş, Anca; Iancu, Mihaela Adela; Turcu-Stiolica, Adina

doi:10.18683/germs.2025.1453

Open AccessArticle

HPV Vaccine-Related Myths Encountered in Romanian Clinical Practice: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Family Doctors

by

Gheorghe Gindrovel Dumitra

^1,2,†,

Carmen-Adriana Dogaru

^1,3,†,

Sandra Adalgiza Alexiu

^2,†,

Dorica Sănduţu

²,

Cosmina Berbecel

²,

Monica Curelea

²,

Cristina Vasilica Barbu

²,

Anca Deleanu

²,

Adrian Grom

²,

Maria Lup

²,

Ioana Budiu

²,

Mădălina Vesa

²,

Florin Proşa

²,

Daniela Ştefănescu

²,

Roxana Surugiu

⁴,

Ştefana Oana Popescu

^5,*,

Anca Lăcătuş

^2,6,*,

Mihaela Adela Iancu

⁷ and

Adina Turcu-Stiolica

⁸

¹

Family Medicine Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2-4 Petru Rares Street, 200349 Craiova, Romania

²

Immunization Working Group, Romanian National Society of Family Medicine, 65, Popa Nan Street, Bucharest, Romania

³

Child Health Working Group, Romanian National Society of Family Medicine, 65, Popa Nan Street, Bucharest, Romania

⁴

University of Medicine, and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2 Petru Rares Street, 200349 Craiova, Romania

⁵

Biochemistry Department, University of Medicine, and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2 Petru Rares Street, 200349 Craiova, Romania

⁶

Faculty of Medicine, Transylvania University of Brasov, 500036 Brașov, Romania

⁷

Faculty of Medicine, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania

⁸

Pharmacoeconomics Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2-4 Petru Rares Street, 200349 Craiova, Romania

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors had equal contributions.

GERMS 2025, 15(1), 37-55; https://doi.org/10.18683/germs.2025.1453

Submission received: 4 March 2025 / Revised: 27 March 2025 / Accepted: 30 March 2025 / Published: 31 March 2025

Download Versions Notes

Abstract

Introduction: Human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination is a key strategy for preventing HPV-related cancers, yet vaccine hesitancy remains a challenge due to persistent myths and misconceptions. This study aimed to identify the most frequently encountered HPV vaccine-related myths in clinical practice from the perspective of family doctors and to assess differences in their prevalence between urban and rural populations. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among family doctors in Romania who reported common myths encountered when discussing HPV vaccination with parents and women eligible for catch-up vaccination. The analysis focused on identifying the most prevalent perceived myths and assessing differences between urban and rural settings, age groups and genders, using Kruskal-Wallis test, followed by post-hoc Dunn’s tests with Holm correction to account for multiple comparisons, as well as Chi-square tests. Results: The most frequently reported myths overall were “The HPV vaccine is only for girls” (mean score ± SD, 2.91 ± 1.27), “The HPV vaccine has severe and long-term side effects” (mean score ± SD, 2.83 ± 1.27), and “There are too many new vaccines” (mean score ± SD, 2.77 ± 1.3). Rural respondents reported significantly higher belief in concerns related to vaccine safety, effectiveness, increasing number of vaccines, necessity in monogamous individuals, fear of injections, and concerns about promiscuity, particularly in their perception of parents of adolescent girls. Conclusions: Family doctors consider that persistent myths continue to fuel vaccine hesitancy, especially in rural areas. Strengthening family doctors' communication skills through motivational interviewing and evidence-based counseling is essential. Public health efforts should focus on targeted educational interventions and social prescription tools to improve vaccine acceptance and reduce the burden of HPV-related diseases.

Keywords: HPV vaccination; vaccine myths; family doctors; rural-urban differences; health communication; public health interventions

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Dumitra, G.G.; Dogaru, C.-A.; Alexiu, S.A.; Sănduţu, D.; Berbecel, C.; Curelea, M.; Barbu, C.V.; Deleanu, A.; Grom, A.; Lup, M.; et al. HPV Vaccine-Related Myths Encountered in Romanian Clinical Practice: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Family Doctors. GERMS 2025, 15, 37-55. https://doi.org/10.18683/germs.2025.1453

AMA Style

Dumitra GG, Dogaru C-A, Alexiu SA, Sănduţu D, Berbecel C, Curelea M, Barbu CV, Deleanu A, Grom A, Lup M, et al. HPV Vaccine-Related Myths Encountered in Romanian Clinical Practice: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Family Doctors. GERMS. 2025; 15(1):37-55. https://doi.org/10.18683/germs.2025.1453

Chicago/Turabian Style

Dumitra, Gheorghe Gindrovel, Carmen-Adriana Dogaru, Sandra Adalgiza Alexiu, Dorica Sănduţu, Cosmina Berbecel, Monica Curelea, Cristina Vasilica Barbu, Anca Deleanu, Adrian Grom, Maria Lup, and et al. 2025. "HPV Vaccine-Related Myths Encountered in Romanian Clinical Practice: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Family Doctors" GERMS 15, no. 1: 37-55. https://doi.org/10.18683/germs.2025.1453

APA Style

Dumitra, G. G., Dogaru, C.-A., Alexiu, S. A., Sănduţu, D., Berbecel, C., Curelea, M., Barbu, C. V., Deleanu, A., Grom, A., Lup, M., Budiu, I., Vesa, M., Proşa, F., Ştefănescu, D., Surugiu, R., Popescu, Ş. O., Lăcătuş, A., Iancu, M. A., & Turcu-Stiolica, A. (2025). HPV Vaccine-Related Myths Encountered in Romanian Clinical Practice: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Family Doctors. GERMS, 15(1), 37-55. https://doi.org/10.18683/germs.2025.1453

Article Menu

HPV Vaccine-Related Myths Encountered in Romanian Clinical Practice: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Family Doctors

Abstract

Share and Cite

Article Metrics

Article Access Statistics

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI