Knowledge and Acceptance of Human Papillomavirus Vaccine for Cervical Cancer Prevention Among Urban Professional Women in Bangladesh: A Mixed Method Study

Abstract

Prophylactic human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is the most effective preventive method against invasive cervical cancer, the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women in Bangladesh. Evidence on women's knowledge and perception about cervical cancer and HPV vaccination are needed for effective implementation of national cervical cancer prevention programs. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and acceptance of cervical cancer, HPV, and HPV vaccination among urban professional women in Bangladesh. We recruited 160 female professionals employed at selected private banks in Bangladesh. Participants were selected using nonprobability-based convenience sampling for interviews through a self-administered questionnaire. Later, in-depth interviews were conducted with nine of these women. Quantitative data were analyzed utilizing descriptive statistics, whereas qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic approach. Ninety-eight percent of participants reported that they had previously heard of cervical cancer, however, only half (51%) reported to have heard of HPV as a cause of the disease. Less than 1% of the 160 participants had previously undergone a pap smear, and only 2% were vaccinated with at least one dose of HPV vaccination. Although knowledge was low, intention for acceptance of vaccination was moderate for women and high for their children. Although the majority of women had heard of cervical cancer, few women had in-depth knowledge of HPV and the etiology of invasive disease. This study draws attention to the urgent need of educational interventions on cervical cancer and its prevention to improve uptake of available HPV vaccination in Bangladesh.

Awareness, knowledge about human papillomavirus and attitude towards its vaccine among university students: A Bangladeshi pilot study

“…The findings of this study reported that more than 6 out of every 10 participants were aware of HPV ( Table 2). The level of awareness among university students of this study was higher than the level of awareness (56.6%) among urban women in Bangladesh 12 . It was expected since the study was conducted among university students.…”

“…Understanding people's knowledge and attitude towards HPV infection and vaccination may facilitate to design of effective strategies and interventions in raising awareness and encouraging the uptake of the vaccine among the target population. Previous studies on knowledge and attitudes towards HPV infection and vaccination has focused on women in Bangladesh 11,12 . However, there is a lack of research that explores young adult's knowledge and attitude towards HPV infection and vaccination.…”

Knowledge on cervical cancer and perceived barriers to the uptake of HPV vaccination among health professionals

“…A mixed-method study was conducted in Dhaka, Bangladesh in December 2013 among professional women employed by private banks. It revealed that only 26% of the participants had heard about cervical cancer and 56.6% of them had heard about HPV vaccination [12]. In the present study, 83.3% of people knew that PAP smear test detects cervical cancer even before the symptoms appear, which were in comparison with similar studies [13][14][15].…”

Multi-Theory Model and Predictors of Likelihood of Accepting the Series of HPV Vaccination: A Cross-Sectional Study among Ghanaian Adolescents

“…Researchers report a general lack of awareness about HPV and the availability and need for the HPV vaccine [40][41][42][43]. Furthermore, they report an association between the participant's gender [44] and age [45,46] and the likelihood to initiate HPV vaccination, with females more likely than males to report a willingness to initiate and complete HPV vaccination [44,47]. In our study, perceived beliefs that HPV causes cancer, that HPV vaccination is effective in preventing cancer, and that HPV vaccination is effective in adolescents' early years were significantly associated with the initiation and completing of HPV vaccination; findings consistent with the previous research [48][49][50][51].…”