AimThe purpose of this study was to examine the trend in human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates in Japan before and after a policy change in 2022, involving resumption of active recommendation and start of catch‐up vaccination.MethodsFrom 2021 to 2023, a web‐based questionnaire survey was administered to newly enrolled female college students in Yokohama, Japan. The questionnaire included items such as age, HPV vaccination status, HPV vaccine awareness, and awareness of catch‐up vaccination. We compared knowledge about the HPV vaccine and cervical cancer in 2021 and 2023, before and after resumption of the national vaccination program.ResultsThe HPV vaccination rates were 5.4% in 2021, 7.5% in 2022, and 35.3% in 2023, with a significant upward trend (p < 0.001). A similar upward trend was observed for HPV vaccine awareness (p < 0.001). Comparing 2022 and 2023 after the start of catch‐up vaccination, there was no significant difference in awareness of catch‐up vaccination (p = 0.669), but there was a significant increase in awareness of free vaccination tickets (p < 0.001). After resumption of the national vaccination program with adoption of the catch‐up vaccination program, there was no difference in knowledge of cervical cancer, but there was a difference in knowledge of the HPV vaccine.ConclusionsAlthough the HPV vaccination rate has increased after the policy change, it has not recovered to the level before the suspension of active recommendation. It is important for healthcare providers and school educators to actively communicate the safety and effectiveness of the HPV vaccine.

中文翻译：

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针对新女大学生的人乳头瘤病毒疫苗接种的三年问卷调查：2021 年报告的后续行动，揭示日本政策变化的影响


目的本研究的目的是调查 2022 年政策变化前后日本人乳头瘤病毒 (HPV) 疫苗接种率的趋势，包括恢复积极推荐和开始补种疫苗接种。方法从 2021 年到 2023 年，一项网络研究对日本横滨市新入学女大学生进行问卷调查。调查问卷内容包括年龄、HPV疫苗接种情况、HPV疫苗认知情况、补种疫苗认知情况等。比较2021年和2023年国家疫苗接种计划恢复前后的HPV疫苗和宫颈癌知识。结果2021年HPV疫苗接种率为5.4%，2022年为7.5%，2023年为35.3%，显着上升趋势 （ p < 0.001）。 HPV 疫苗认知度也呈现类似的上升趋势（p < 0.001）。补种疫苗开始后的2022年和2023年相比，补种疫苗的认知度没有显着差异（ p = 0.669），但免费疫苗接种券的认知度显着提高（ p < 0.001）。恢复国家疫苗接种计划并采取补种后，宫颈癌的认知情况没有差异，但HPV疫苗的认知情况存在差异。结论虽然政策改变后HPV疫苗接种率有所上升，尚未恢复到主动推荐暂停前的水平。对于医疗保健提供者和学校教育工作者来说，积极宣传 HPV 疫苗的安全性和有效性非常重要。