Knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions associated with HPV vaccination among female Korean and Chinese university students

Hae Won Kim,You Jing Jin,Jung Lim Lee,Eun Ju Lee,Seo Yun Kim,Young Jin Lee,Youngji Kim

doi:10.1186/s12905-022-01624-1

Abstract

BackgroundHuman papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is a form of primary prevention for cervical cancer. The HPV vaccination rate of female university students is not high in Korea and China. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify and compare the factors associated with intention to receive HPV vaccination between Korean and Chinese female university students.MethodsThe participants were 273 Korean and 317 Chinese female university students who had not been vaccinated for HPV, and data were collected using a self-reported questionnaire about attitudes toward HPV vaccination, HPV knowledge, perceptions of HPV infection, and intention to receive HPV vaccine.ResultsThere were no significant differences between the Korean and Chinese female university students in HPV knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, and vaccination intention. The factors influencing the intention of HPV vaccination in Korean students were a positive attitude toward the HPV vaccine and a high HPV knowledge score. For Chinese students, sexual experience, awareness of genital warts, a positive attitude toward the HPV vaccine, a high HPV knowledge scores, a perception of the seriousness of HPV infection, and negative emotions regarding HPV infection were significant factors.ConclusionsIt is important to improve attitudes and knowledge about HPV and the HPV vaccine in order to enhance HPV vaccination both in Korea and China. Perceived seriousness and negative emotions regarding HPV infection should be used as a framework to develop subject-tailored interventions in China.

Highlights

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is a form of primary prevention for cervical cancer
In prior studies of Chinese female college students, the proportion of respondents expressing that they intended to receive HPV vaccination was 44% in the study of Gu et al [25] and 55.2% in the study of Lin et al but Chen et al [26], who conducted a study among women aged 20–35, reported that the percentage of respondents with vaccination intention was as high as 83.7%, showing that the percentage of respondents reporting vaccination intention varied largely among studies
Considering these levels of intention of HPV vaccination, it is necessary to make further efforts to enhance the intention of HPV vaccination among female college students, who are included in the secondary target population for HPV vaccination in both countries, and to ensure that intention to receive the HPV vaccine will lead to actual uptake of the HPV vaccine

Summary

Introduction

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is a form of primary prevention for cervical cancer. The HPV vaccination rate of female university students is not high in Korea and China. Cervical cancer comprised 84% of all HPV-related cancers and ranked in the top three and four cancers affecting women younger than 45 years in China and Korea, respectively [1, 2]. The age-specific incidence rate of cervical cancer starts rising after 25 years globally [2]. Both in China and Korea, the incidence rate of cervical cancer among young women has increased, resulting in a greater loss of life-years when considering age-weighting [3]. It is necessary to develop effective strategies to improve HPV vaccination rates, in younger age groups

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