Knowledge, attitude, and utilization of human papillomavirus vaccination among female undergraduates in Ekiti State, Nigeria

Abstract

Despite the introduction of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in Nigeria in 2009, vaccination rate is still low and the
disease-related mortality remains high. This study evaluated the knowledge, attitude, and utilization of HPV vaccinations among
female undergraduates in a university in Ekiti State, southwest Nigeria. This was an observational study that utilized a standardized
questionnaire to obtain information from 200 female participants who were selected using multistage sampling technique. The data
was analyzed and presented with descriptive statistics, while Chi- square was used to test any significance in observed differences
and relationships between variables. About 53.3% of the respondents had fair knowledge of HPV. Results on utilization were
extremely low as only 5.4% had received the vaccination in all three doses. The major barriers to HPV utilization were inadequate
awareness about the vaccine (53.0%), concern about its cost and safety (41.1% and 40.1% respectively). We conclude that HPV
vaccination campaign should be extensively encouraged especially among university students. The cost of the vaccine should be
subsidised to encourage its uptake, thereby reducing cervical cancer incidence and deaths in the country