Rosy Chabbra

Effect of educational intervention on knowledge of HPV and HPV vaccine and vaccine acceptability among teachers: A pilot investigation

Abstract Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a leading cause of cancer worldwide. In India, cancer of the cervix is ranked as the second and the first most frequent cancer for women in the state of Himachal Pradesh. The HPV vaccine has the potential to prevent cancers, but vaccine uptake has been low in India due to a lack of awareness, cultural acceptance, and non inclusion in the national immunization program. With the introduction of the indigenous vaccine, ‘Cervavac’, by the Government of India, a school based intervention can prove to be a cost effective and successful strategy in promoting the uptake of the HPV vaccine. Methods: The current pilot study aimed to determine the impact of an educational intervention on HPV and HPV vaccine knowledge and the acceptability of the HPV vaccine among teachers who are parents of children aged 9 19 years in Shimla, a town in the North Western Himalayas. Twenty three teachers’ participated in the pilot intervention. A paired ‘t’ test was used to find out the difference in HPV and HPV vaccine knowledge and HPV vaccine acceptability in pre and post intervention conditions. Results: The results revealed that there was a significant increase in knowledge of HPV (t = 6.97), knowledge of vaccine, and an increase in the acceptability in general (t = 2.78), HPV vaccination knowledge (t = 6.99), and HPV vaccine acceptability (t = 11.76) scores among the participants. Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of HPV knowledge and awareness in improving vaccine acceptability, suggesting a tailored approach that engages the target population in vaccination decisions to augment uptake.