Knowledge and attitudes of medical students about human papillomavirus (HPV) and HPV vaccine: A cross-sectional survey in Inner Mongolia, China.

چکیده اصلی

China approved human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines for women and men in 2016 and 2025 respectively. We aimed to online survey the knowledge of HPV and HPV vaccines, as well as the vaccine uptake, among medical college students in Inner Mongolia, during April 1-21, 2026. Of 5,846 eligible students, 660 (11.3%) participated in the survey. Fourteen respondents were excluded because of their incomplete questionnaires. Of 646 respondents aged 20.5 (±1.5) years with 65.5% (423) females, 93.6% and 87.6% were aware of HPV and HPV vaccines respectively. However, only 74.8% of them knew HPV as the main cause of cervical cancer and 73.5% knew the preventive effect of HPV vaccines against cervical cancer. Fewer respondents knew the association of HPV with other cancers. The males had less knowledge than females. Only 115 (27.2%) females had received HPV vaccination, and none of the males did due to transient availability of the vaccine for males. Family income, paternal education, and HPV vaccine knowledge were the main factors associated with the vaccination. The vaccination barriers included vaccine cost, perceived lack of necessity, doubts about effectiveness, concerns about adverse events, and unawareness of where to get vaccinated. Among the unvaccinated respondents, 61.4% (137/223) of the males and 86.4% (266/308) of the females intended to get vaccinated. The survey revealed gaps in HPV and HPV vaccine knowledge, as well as low vaccination coverage among medical students. The results indicate that enhancing education about HPV and HPV vaccines appears valuable for increasing HPV vaccine uptake.

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