Knowledge and Awareness of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination in an Urbanized Village in Delhi

TL;DR

This study finds very low awareness about the HPV vaccine in a Delhi village, with only a small fraction knowing who needs it or at what age.

Contribution

The study provides novel insights into HPV vaccine awareness in an urbanized village in Delhi, highlighting significant gaps in public knowledge.

Findings

95.6% of participants were unaware of the HPV vaccine.

Only 1.75% correctly knew who should receive the vaccine.

83% of those aware were willing to take the vaccine.

Abstract

Introduction: Cervical cancer is one of the major health problems and is a leading cause of death among women worldwide. Awareness regarding the prevention strategies against cervical cancer plays a major role in reducing its burden. Hence, the current study was planned with the objective to assess the level of awareness and knowledge regarding the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to include 405 participants using simple random sampling from an urbanized village of Delhi from March 2023 to April 2023. Data was collected using a pre-designed, semi-structured questionnaire. Tests of association, such as the chi-square test and its modifications, were used to determine statistical significance. P < 0.05 was taken as statistically significant.

Results: Most of the participants (95.6%) were not aware of the HPV vaccine. Only 1.75% correctly knew who needs the HPV vaccine, and 0.2% correctly knew at what age the vaccine is to be given. Out of those who knew about the HPV vaccine, 83% of study participants were willing to take the vaccine. No statistically significant association was found with the sociodemographic variables.

Conclusion: There was a considerable lack of awareness and knowledge regarding the HPV vaccine among the residents of the urbanized village. Thus, it presents an opportunity that should be utilized to reach out and develop community awareness to encourage acceptance of the HPV vaccine.