Evaluating the Knowledge and Vaccination Intentions against Human Papillomavirus amongst Women with Adolescent Daughters in Rivers State, Nigeria
Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a significant cause of cervical cancer, yet vaccination rates remain low. Understanding the knowledge and vaccination intentions amongst mothers can inform public health strategies. This study, therefore, sought to assess the knowledge and vaccination intent...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Nigerian Journal of Medicine |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/NJM.NJM_67_24 |
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| Summary: | Background:
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a significant cause of cervical cancer, yet vaccination rates remain low. Understanding the knowledge and vaccination intentions amongst mothers can inform public health strategies. This study, therefore, sought to assess the knowledge and vaccination intentions regarding HPV amongst women with adolescent daughters in Rivers State, Nigeria.
Materials and Methods:
A hospital-based descriptive, multicentre, cross-sectional study was conducted at the outpatient clinics of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital and Rivers State University Teaching Hospital from March to May 2021. A total of 304 women with adolescent daughters were recruited using a pretested, self-administered questionnaire. Data were analysed using SPSS version 23, with Chi-square tests and Pearson’s correlation to determine associations.
Results:
Out of 310 distributed questionnaires, 304 (98.1%) were completed. Most respondents were aged 30–39 years (40.5%) and predominantly from the Igbo ethnic group (50.7%). A significant portion had tertiary education (73.4%). Knowledge of HPV was good, with 62.2% aware of HPV and 55.6% knowledgeable about the HPV vaccine. Health workers were the primary source of information (57.1%). However, 85.2% were unaware of the recommended vaccine doses. Factors such as education level significantly influenced the knowledge of HPV and the vaccine (P = 0.004 and 0.002, respectively).
Conclusions:
Despite good knowledge of HPV and its vaccine, there is a significant gap in specific knowledge regarding vaccination protocols. Enhanced educational efforts by health workers are essential to improve HPV vaccination rates. |
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| ISSN: | 1115-2613 2667-0526 |