There was no association between vaccine status and current risk behaviours: smoking status or sexual experience. There was no association between learn more vaccine status and expectation of having sex in the next year; however

cervical screening intentions were associated with vaccine status. Those with low intentions to attend cervical screening in the future were significantly less likely to be fully vaccinated compared with those who had high intentions (70% vs. 81%). This association remained significant after adjusting for ethnicity and religion. This study showed that compared with fully vaccinated girls, those who had not received all three doses were more likely to be from non-white ethnic backgrounds and to have lower intentions to attend for cervical screening in the future. These results support previous studies that suggest non-white ethnicity is associated with being un/under-vaccinated [19], [20] and [21]

and that unvaccinated girls may be less likely to attend cervical screening [28] and [29]. Bcl-2 inhibitor Encouragingly, we found no evidence of an association between vaccination status and socioeconomic status, sexual behaviour or cigarette smoking; again, supporting previous findings that vaccination status does not influence sexual behaviour [38] and [39] and that coverage is not associated with area-level deprivation [25]. It is likely that the association between vaccination uptake and participation in screening is explained by a general interest in health among those who engage in health protective behaviours. Alternatively, some studies suggest that women who attend cervical screening are more likely to vaccinate their daughters against HPV [40], [41], [42] and [43], so it is possible that the screening intentions expressed by the vaccinated girls in our sample were reflective of their mothers’ behaviour. We did not measure parental screening behaviour, but future studies should consider this possibility.

Exposure to information Dipeptidyl peptidase about cervical screening during the HPV vaccination campaign (through leaflets, providers or discussions with their parents) could also explain increased intention to attend for screening in vaccinated girls, although all girls offered the vaccine are exposed to written information on screening, regardless of uptake. In additional analyses (not reported here) the association between vaccination status and intention to be screened remained significant after adjusting for previous awareness of cervical cancer screening, suggesting that attitudes rather than knowledge underpin this association. The association between vaccination status and screening intention is concerning because it suggests there will be a distinct group of women who remain unvaccinated and unscreened, and will therefore be at increased risk of cervical cancer.