Prevalence and Perception of HPV Vaccination Among Health Science Students in Saudi Arabia.

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.