Awareness and knowledge of human papillomavirus, cervical cancer and human papillomavirus vaccines, and acceptance of human papillomavirus vaccination among female undergraduate students on a University Campus

Abstract

Background: The awareness and knowledge of HPV, cervical cancer and HPV vaccines are essential for the acceptance of HPV vaccination. Objective: To determine the awareness and knowledge of HPV, cervical cancer and HPV vaccines and acceptance of HPV vaccination among a cohort of female undergraduate students at the Benue State University Methods and Materials: This was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study involving 400 female undergraduate students of Benue State University from June 1, 2017 to September 30, 2017. Data was analysed using SPSS (Version 20.0) and the level of significance set at ≤0.05. Results: The awareness of HPV was 31.0%. The knowledge of HPV, cervical cancer and HPV vaccines was 21.8%, 22.5% and 6.8% respectively. The acceptance of HPV vaccines was 96.0%. Age (20 – 29 years; P = 0.003), being single (P = 0.019) and being sexually active (P = 0.000) were positive correlates of knowledge of HPV, cervical cancer and HPV vaccines. Conclusion: There was poor awareness of HPV and poor knowledge of HPV, cervical cancer and HPV vaccines among the respondents. However, the acceptance of HPV vaccination was quite high. There is a need for the incorporation of HPV vaccination into the national immunization programme in Nigeria.