KNOWLEDGE, PERCEPTION AND UPTAKE OF HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS VACCINE AMONG PARENTS OF FEMALE STUDENTS IN SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN EFFURUN-WARRI CITY OF DELTA STATE, NIGERIA

Oluwaseun Ayobami Adakaraza and Stella Folajole Usifoh*

ABSTRACT

Cervical Cancer is one of the few malignancies that have been known to be microbe-related and caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) with increasing mortality in developing countries. Although HPV vaccines is available, the level of HPV uptake is low among adolescents. Vaccination can only be effective in adolescents if the major stakeholders are well informed and highly knowledgeable on the diseases to be prevented. The study aimed at assessing the knowledge, perception of parents of female secondary school students about the HPV vaccine, and willingness to have them vaccinated. The cross-sectional study was conducted among 114 parents of female students aged 9 years and above, in randomly selected secondary schools located within Effurun/Warri Axis in Delta state with a validated questionnaire. Respondents’ were selected randomly by availability to attend scheduled health seminars. The intervention was a 30-minutes educational presentation on HPV. The data were analyzed with Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 21. Most 102 (90%) of the respondents were female. Only 61 (54%) knew that HPV is the Human Papilloma Virus before the intervention and the source of information of HPV was mostly workplace (66%). Parents’ perception and knowledge about HPV, cervical cancer, and HPV vaccine were poor; only 14 parents (12%) knew before the intervention that HPV could be transmitted sexually and by skin-to-skin contact. Only 4 (3.5%) of the respondents had vaccinated their children against HPV. The educational intervention significantly affected knowledge, perception, and parents’ willingness to have their children vaccinated against HPV (p=<0.0001).

Keywords: Cervical Cancer is one of the few malignancies that have been known to be microbe-related and caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) with increasing mortality in developing countries. Although HPV vaccines is available, the level of HPV uptake is low a