Young women's constructions of the HPV vaccine: a cross-cultural, qualitative study in Scotland, Spain, Serbia and Bulgaria.

Background: Following international trends, the HPV (human papilloma virus) vaccine was introduced in Europe for protection against infection from common strands of the HPV virus which can lead to cervical cancer. Young women aged 18-26 years are at greatest risk of infection by the HPV virus yet have been neglected in research, policy, and practice.

Purpose: To explore young women's constructions of the HPV vaccine in four European countries with different implementation policies ranging from national school-based programmes, regarded as the gold standard, to regional on-demand and private provision.