Barriers to Human Papilloma Virus Vaccine Uptake: A Review of Cultural Beliefs, Myths, and Misinformation.

Abstract Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a leading cause of cancer and causes other anogenital cancers, making it a significant global disease that disproportionately affects low‑income countries. Despite the availability of vaccines and their endorsement and implementation by the WHO based on proven efficacy, the global uptake of the HPV vaccine has remained low. This is largely due to various sociocultural, religious, caste, gender, and other social barriers. This scoping review aims to compile and focus on all available evidence related to HPV vaccine hesitancy, with special attention to culturally conservative settings. Methods: Following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, we screened 10 peer-reviewed studies published between 2020 and 2025 that were available in PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and grey literature repositories. Studies were selected on the basis that they explored sociocultural beliefs, gender dynamics, religious norms, effects of digital media, and systemic barriers that impact HPV vaccine acceptability. Data was extracted through a standardized matrix and analyzed thematically to identify recurring patterns and evidence-based recommendations. Results: This review identified five interconnected thematic domains that shape HPV vaccine hesitancy globally: Firstly, Deep cultural and religious taboos, which view the vaccine as a tool that promotes promiscuity particularly seen in conservative communities; Secondly, Misinformation spread on digital and social media, such as myths about infertility and vaccine safety, which disproportionately affect adolescents and low literacy populations; Thirdly, Gendered perceptions and unequal targeting, where early vaccine messaging focused exclusively on females, which ignored males and reinforced stigma; Fourthly, Inconsistencies in healthcare communication, including language and literacy barriers that weaken trust between healthcare providers and patients; and Fifthly, Structural constraints, such as lack of access in rural areas, irregular vaccine supply, and systemic discrimination within health services all of these combine to deepen vaccine inequity in LMICs and marginalized communities. Conclusions: These findings show that a multi-level approach is needed to tackle the complex connections between cultural beliefs, gender norms, and systemic problems. When health messages are crafted according to people's culture and conveyed in an understandable way and when global health policies are strong and health services reach everyone equally only then can HPV vaccine uptake increase. Only when there is a right synergy between science and people's socio-cultural environment, we can win people's trust, dispel myths, and reach the goal of eliminating HPV-related cancers globally.