The relationship between individuals' knowledge of human papillomavirus, attitudes towards HPV vaccination, and vaccine hesitancy: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

There are more than 207 types of Human Papillomavirus (HPV), most of which do not cause symptoms, lesions, or warts, and cause more  than 600,000 cases of cancer annually. Purpose:This study was planned to elucidate the relationship between individuals' HPV knowledge,  attitudes towards the HPV vaccine, and vaccine hesitancy. The research was conducted with 1011 people using a descriptive  and correlational research design. Data collection tools included socio-demographic information survey, HPV Knowledge Scale, Carolina  HPV Vaccination Attitudes Scale, and Vaccine Hesitancy Scale. The data was analyzed using the SPSS 26.0 package program. The average  score was 11.68±7.23 on the HPV Knowledge Scale, 30.76±7.31 on the HPV Vaccine Attitude Scale, and 27.90±11.10 on the Vaccine  Hesitancy Scale. While there was a very weak negative relationship between the participants HPV knowledge and HPV Vaccine Attitude  scores, a weak positive relationship was found with vaccine hesitancy. A weak positive relationship was also detected between vaccine  attitude and vaccine hesitancy (p<0.05). According to the regression model created in the study, HPV vaccination attitude was explained  by the HPV Knowledge Scale and vaccine hesitancy at a rate of 22.5%. In line with the results, healthcare professionals need to raise  awareness in the society and increase vaccination rates.