Knowledge and Attitude of Nursing Students towards Human Papillomavirus Vaccination

Cervical cancer is the commonest cause of cancer deaths among women in developing countries. Usually 70% of the cases are diagnosed at III stage or higher making the treatment complicated. HPV vaccination is the primary prevention for cervical cancer. Nurses are the corner stone in the implementation of the preventive function. A descriptive study was done to assess the knowledge and attitude of nursing students towards HPV vaccination. 176 sample participated from I, II, III and IV year BSc nursing students of The Salvation Army Catherine Booth College of Nursing, Nagercoil. Questionnaire and Likert scale was used to assess their knowledge and attitude. The study revealed that less than 50% had adequate knowledge and only 55% had positive attitude towards HPV vaccination respectively. Only 2% were vaccinated against HPV. The study recommend creating intense awareness regarding HPV vaccination among health care professionals, integrating HPV vaccination in national immunization schedule, identifying the barriers for vaccination, conducting HPV vaccination drive.