The current status of cervical cancer awareness and HPV Vaccination among rural women of India: An impediment to the WHO cervical cancer elimination initiative
ABSTRACT
Background:
Cervical cancer screening and the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination rates are low in India, with widespread socio-economic disparities and inadequate awareness about the symptoms, risk factors, and available preventive methods. The problem is more concerning in rural areas. So, the present study aimed to precisely assess the awareness of the women (18–65 years) residing in rural areas regarding cervical cancer and HPV vaccines.
Methods:
A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in three districts of Punjab in 2021 and included 600 participants through a multistage random sampling technique. Data were collected using a pretested semistructured questionnaire. Awareness was assessed using a comprehensive scoring system. Descriptive statistics and Bivariate analyses were used to present the results.
Results:
Ninety percent of participants had heard of cervical cancer, but only 1.8% had comprehensive knowledge. About 55.5% of the participants were not ready for screening, and most (34.2%) were confident they would not have cancer in their lifetime. Only 5.3% had heard of the HPV vaccine, and very few (0.5%) participants were vaccinated. The most commonly cited reasons were lack of knowledge (90.1%) and the high cost of vaccines (5.9%).
Conclusions:
The present study depicts diffuse knowledge about cervical cancer and low uptake of HPV vaccination in rural areas, not affected by sociodemographic characteristics. This calls for large-scale health advocacy programs to promote regular screening to generate demand and improve acceptance of the soon-to-be-launched indigenous HPV vaccine in the Universal Immunization program and achieve the WHO global target of eliminating cervical cancer by 2030.