Prevalence and perception of HPV vaccination among health science students in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Objective: This study was carried out to assess the prevalence and perception of human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination in health science students in Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at different health science colleges of Majmaah University on female students. The knowledge of the participants regarding HPV was assessed using a pre-tested questionnaire. The history of vaccination of these female participants was also enquired. Results: More than three-fifth of the participants had heard about HPV. Of these, 83 participants, 59 (71.1%), were aware that it is a disease of women and how to diagnose it. Most participants (86.7%) knew that it can cause cervical cancer, while only 57.8% knew it could be asymptomatic. There were 18% of such participants who thought that HPV and human immunodeficiency virus are the same and that there is no vaccine for the prevention of HPV. Only 14.5% (n = 12) were vaccinated against HPV. Conclusion: A clear gap between knowledge and practice of HPV vaccination was observed, and health education should be planned to educate health professionals to avoid misconceptions.

Keywords

• attitudes
• human papilloma virus vaccines
• knowledge
• medical students
• prevalence
• practice