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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health Education and Promotion
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1451320
This article is part of the Research Topic Vaccine Education and Promotion View all 12 articles

Awareness of HPV and HPV vaccine among college students in China

Provisionally accepted
Manman Li Manman Li 1Fengzhi Zhang Fengzhi Zhang 2Yun Shi Yun Shi 1Kaige Shi Kaige Shi 1Xiaoxue Li Xiaoxue Li 1Hua Bai Hua Bai 3*
  • 1 Department of Gynecology, Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
  • 2 Department of Nursing, Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
  • 3 Department of Infection Control, Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women, HPV vaccine can reduce the incidence of cervical cancer by approximately 70%. Sexual behavior is a direct risk factor for HPV infection, and sexually active college students, therefore, receive attention for HPV vaccination. This study aimed to investigate the awareness of HPV and its vaccine among college students in Zhengzhou, and to explore the factors influencing their awareness of HPV vaccine, to understand college students' willingness to receive the vaccine. The findings of this study will lay a foundation for cervical cancer prevention.Methods: Using a multistage random sampling method, 650 college students from four universities in Zhengzhou were selected. A self-administered questionnaire on the awareness of HPV and its vaccine, and willingness to receive HPV vaccination was carried out. Logistic regression was used to analyze the factors influencing students' awareness of the HPV vaccine.Results: 58.0% of college students had heard of HPV, and 72.8% of college students had heard of HPV vaccine. Logistic regression showed that gender, major, grade, mean monthly consumption level, sexual history, and mother cervical cancer screening participation significantly influenced the awareness of HPV vaccine (P<0.05). Only 27(4.2%) college students had received the HPV vaccine.63.2% of college students expressed their willingness to get vaccinated. The awareness of HPV and its vaccine among college students in Zhengzhou needs improvement. Although the vaccination rate is low, most college students are willing to be vaccinated. Diverse health education programs should be conducted for different groups to improve awareness of cervical cancer prevention and promote vaccination.

    Keywords: Human papillomavirus, Vaccine, cervical cancer, Willingness to Vaccination, college students 1 Introduction

    Received: 19 Jun 2024; Accepted: 03 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Li, Zhang, Shi, Shi, Li and Bai. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Hua Bai, Department of Infection Control, Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.