From awareness to acceptance: understanding HPV and vaccine knowledge, attitudes and beliefs among university students in Punjab, Pakistan
Background Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infections can lead to various cancers globally, and immunization can prevent HPV-associated cancers. This study intended to evaluate university students’ knowledge, awareness, and attitudes/beliefs toward HPV and HPV vaccine uptake in Punjab, Pakistan.Methods A...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/20523211.2025.2473023 |
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| author | Naveel Atif Furqan Khurshid Hashmi Usman Rashid Malik Mohsin Ahmad Ghauri Ali Hassan Gillani Mukhtar Kadirhaz Minghuan Jiang Jie Chang Yu Fang |
| author_facet | Naveel Atif Furqan Khurshid Hashmi Usman Rashid Malik Mohsin Ahmad Ghauri Ali Hassan Gillani Mukhtar Kadirhaz Minghuan Jiang Jie Chang Yu Fang |
| author_sort | Naveel Atif |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infections can lead to various cancers globally, and immunization can prevent HPV-associated cancers. This study intended to evaluate university students’ knowledge, awareness, and attitudes/beliefs toward HPV and HPV vaccine uptake in Punjab, Pakistan.Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in ten institutes across six cities using pre-validated questionnaires. Descriptive statistics and Rasch analysis were utilized to describe awareness levels, knowledge, and attitudes scores respectively. Regression analysis was utilized to explore association between demographic factors, knowledge levels, and attitudes/ beliefs. SPSS® (IBM, version 23.0) and Winstep® (version 3.75.0) software were used for analysis.Results Out of 1200 students approached, 1056 responded (response rate 88.0%). The mean age of students was 19.5 ± 0.5 years; 31.3% had heard about HPV, 16.4% were aware of the HPV vaccine’s availability, and 2.3% were vaccinated against HPV. The mean Rasch knowledge score was −0.368 logits (SD: 0.893; SEM: 0.027), depicting below-average HPV knowledge. The mean Rasch attitudes/beliefs score was 0.049 logits (SD: 1.013; SEM: 0.031), which depicted positive attitudes towards HPV and its vaccination. Females (OR:1.742; 95%CI: 1.352–2.320), health-sciences students (OR: 1.692; 95%CI: 1.290–2.220), and urban residents (OR:1.621; 95%CI: 1.244–2.223) possessed positive attitudes towards HPV vaccination. Recommendations from physicians (Median: 4.0; IQR: 4.0–5.0) followed by parents (Median: 4.0; IQR: 3.0–5.0), and friends (Median: 4.0; IQR: 3.0–4.0) shaped vaccination decisions.Conclusion Despite their inadequate knowledge levels and poor vaccine uptake, students showed positive attitudes towards HPV vaccination. Awareness about HPV, including testing and vaccination, should be raised through community outreach programs, social media, and university curricula. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8bf4d7e40a974ccbb070783750385c22 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2052-3211 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice |
| spelling | doaj-art-8bf4d7e40a974ccbb070783750385c222025-08-20T03:42:40ZengTaylor & Francis GroupJournal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice2052-32112025-12-0118110.1080/20523211.2025.2473023From awareness to acceptance: understanding HPV and vaccine knowledge, attitudes and beliefs among university students in Punjab, PakistanNaveel Atif0Furqan Khurshid Hashmi1Usman Rashid Malik2Mohsin Ahmad Ghauri3Ali Hassan Gillani4Mukhtar Kadirhaz5Minghuan Jiang6Jie Chang7Yu Fang8Department of Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, People’s Republic of ChinaPunjab University College of Pharmacy, University of the Punjab, Lahore, PakistanDepartment of Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, People’s Republic of ChinaDepartment of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Lahore University of Biological and Applied Sciences, Lahore, PakistanDepartment of Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, People’s Republic of ChinaDepartment of Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, People’s Republic of ChinaDepartment of Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, People’s Republic of ChinaDepartment of Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, People’s Republic of ChinaDepartment of Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, People’s Republic of ChinaBackground Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infections can lead to various cancers globally, and immunization can prevent HPV-associated cancers. This study intended to evaluate university students’ knowledge, awareness, and attitudes/beliefs toward HPV and HPV vaccine uptake in Punjab, Pakistan.Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in ten institutes across six cities using pre-validated questionnaires. Descriptive statistics and Rasch analysis were utilized to describe awareness levels, knowledge, and attitudes scores respectively. Regression analysis was utilized to explore association between demographic factors, knowledge levels, and attitudes/ beliefs. SPSS® (IBM, version 23.0) and Winstep® (version 3.75.0) software were used for analysis.Results Out of 1200 students approached, 1056 responded (response rate 88.0%). The mean age of students was 19.5 ± 0.5 years; 31.3% had heard about HPV, 16.4% were aware of the HPV vaccine’s availability, and 2.3% were vaccinated against HPV. The mean Rasch knowledge score was −0.368 logits (SD: 0.893; SEM: 0.027), depicting below-average HPV knowledge. The mean Rasch attitudes/beliefs score was 0.049 logits (SD: 1.013; SEM: 0.031), which depicted positive attitudes towards HPV and its vaccination. Females (OR:1.742; 95%CI: 1.352–2.320), health-sciences students (OR: 1.692; 95%CI: 1.290–2.220), and urban residents (OR:1.621; 95%CI: 1.244–2.223) possessed positive attitudes towards HPV vaccination. Recommendations from physicians (Median: 4.0; IQR: 4.0–5.0) followed by parents (Median: 4.0; IQR: 3.0–5.0), and friends (Median: 4.0; IQR: 3.0–4.0) shaped vaccination decisions.Conclusion Despite their inadequate knowledge levels and poor vaccine uptake, students showed positive attitudes towards HPV vaccination. Awareness about HPV, including testing and vaccination, should be raised through community outreach programs, social media, and university curricula.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/20523211.2025.2473023Human papillomavirus (HPV)HPV vaccineknowledgeattitudescervical cancerHPV genotypes |
| spellingShingle | Naveel Atif Furqan Khurshid Hashmi Usman Rashid Malik Mohsin Ahmad Ghauri Ali Hassan Gillani Mukhtar Kadirhaz Minghuan Jiang Jie Chang Yu Fang From awareness to acceptance: understanding HPV and vaccine knowledge, attitudes and beliefs among university students in Punjab, Pakistan Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice Human papillomavirus (HPV) HPV vaccine knowledge attitudes cervical cancer HPV genotypes |
| title | From awareness to acceptance: understanding HPV and vaccine knowledge, attitudes and beliefs among university students in Punjab, Pakistan |
| title_full | From awareness to acceptance: understanding HPV and vaccine knowledge, attitudes and beliefs among university students in Punjab, Pakistan |
| title_fullStr | From awareness to acceptance: understanding HPV and vaccine knowledge, attitudes and beliefs among university students in Punjab, Pakistan |
| title_full_unstemmed | From awareness to acceptance: understanding HPV and vaccine knowledge, attitudes and beliefs among university students in Punjab, Pakistan |
| title_short | From awareness to acceptance: understanding HPV and vaccine knowledge, attitudes and beliefs among university students in Punjab, Pakistan |
| title_sort | from awareness to acceptance understanding hpv and vaccine knowledge attitudes and beliefs among university students in punjab pakistan |
| topic | Human papillomavirus (HPV) HPV vaccine knowledge attitudes cervical cancer HPV genotypes |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/20523211.2025.2473023 |
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