{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]],"date-time":"2026-08-03T12:49:24Z","timestamp":1785761364599,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]],"date-time":"2026-08-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785715200000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":2,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BMJ Open"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,14]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,8]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>To eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem, the WHO recommends that human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines should be included in national immunisation programmes and should reach 90% of all girls by age 15 as primary prevention. Lesotho reintroduced the national HPV vaccine programme in 2022.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>To investigate the prevalence and associated factors of HPV vaccination uptake among adolescent girls in Lesotho.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Design<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A population-based cross-sectional study design.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Setting<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Lesotho.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Participants<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Girls aged 15\u201317.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Primary and secondary outcome measures<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A multilevel Poisson regression model with robust variance was applied to identify factors associated with HPV vaccination uptake. An adjusted prevalence ratio with a 95%\u2009CI was reported.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The uptake of HPV vaccination among adolescent girls in Lesotho was 52.15% (95% CI 48.43 to 55.84). Girls aged 16 and 17 and those residing in the Maseru district were significantly associated with a lower proportion of HPV vaccination uptake. While, ever heard of cervical cancer and ever heard of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were found to be linked with a higher proportion of HPV vaccination uptake.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>HPV vaccination uptake among adolescent girls in Lesotho was far behind the WHO 2030 target. Raising awareness about cervical cancer and HPV vaccination via targeted education is vital. A comprehensive sexual health education programme that includes information on STIs and HPV can improve vaccination uptake, especially in districts with low uptake.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2025-110615","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]],"date-time":"2026-08-03T12:05:40Z","timestamp":1785758740000},"page":"e110615","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Magnitude of human papillomavirus vaccination uptake and its determinants among adolescent girls in Lesotho: a cross-sectional study"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2911-2095","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tsion Mulat","family":"Tebeje","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences and Medicine, Dilla University, Dilla, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0744-9022","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kassahun Animut","family":"Metkie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Statistics, College of Natural and Computational Science, Dilla University, Dilla, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5226-1200","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yordanos Sisay","family":"Asgedom","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Health Sciences and Medicine, Wolaita Sodo University, Wolaita Sodo, SNNPR, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Amanuel Yosef","family":"Gebrekidan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences and Medicine, Wolaita Sodo University, Sodo, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-3939-0135","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Seblewongel Gebretsadik","family":"Sertsewold","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Asrat Woldeyes Health Science campus, Debrebirhan University, Debrebirhan, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9310-2481","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ermias Bekele","family":"Enyew","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Informatics, School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Science, Wollo University, Dessie, Amhara, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9340-0091","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mesfin","family":"Abebe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Midwifery, College of Health Sciences and Medicine, Dilla University, Dilla, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026080305051591000_16.8.e110615.1","unstructured":"World Health Organization . 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