Farzana Aamir, Shagufta Naqvi, Arshi Farooquee, Aelia Naqvi, Zohra Rafique, Sumaira Virani, Nida Malik, Sidra Asghar Sahto, Fatima Faheem, Arifa Tajwany.
Comparison of awareness, uptake and barriers of Human Papilloma Virus vaccine among students of private medical college in Karachi - a cross sectional study.
Pak J Surg Jan ;35(1):82-8.

Cervical cancer is the condition which has a long latency period from premalignant to malignant stage. Human papilloma virus (HPV) is the most common cause of cervical cancer in sexually active woman. The objective of our study was to assess and compare the awareness of HPV and its vaccine, uptake and the associated barriers among medical, dental and nursing students of Jinnah medical and dental college of Karachi. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from August - November, 2016. Data was collected aft er taking informed and written consent in a structured questionnaire through interview. Total 455 students were selected via convenient sampling. Data analysis was performed on SPSS version 25.0. Results: In general, male students showed better understanding of HPV infection and vaccine than female students. Most of the participants (79.4% male and 51.7% female) were well aware about the virus. But only 38.2% male and 22.3% female students knew about the availability of HPV Vaccine. The level of Vaccine uptake among the students was even lower and only 13 out of 455 respondents had actually taken up the HPV Vaccine however, majority of the students (64% males and 60% females) showed willingness to get vaccinated if they get a chance. Moreover, unawareness about the disease and vaccine were identified as the chief barrier and most students agreed upon the need of conducting awareness programs on HPV infection and vaccine. Conclusion: This study reveals insufficiency in awareness regarding HPV and its vaccinations which is recognized as a profound barrier in our community. Fortunately, ca cervix is preventable by vaccine but in order to get maximum benefit knowledge of health professionals about the disease and its prevention should be amplified through medical education programs, conference and media.

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