Knowledge and Predictors of Uptake of Human Papilloma Virus Vaccine amongst Adolescents in Edo-state, Nigeria: A Cross-sectional Descriptive Study

Abstract Introduction: Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of preventable female deaths in Nigeria, and most cases are associated with high-risk human papillomavirus infection. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used, and multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 400 adolescents. A validated structured instrument was utilized to collect data. Data obtained were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics at 5% level of significance. STROBE guidelines were used for reporting. Results: Most of the respondents 214 (54%) were in the age range 13-14years (13 ± 2.1 years). More than half 58.5% of the participants had good Knowledge of HPV vaccine with only 25% of the respondent indicating uptake. There is a significant association between HPV vaccine uptake and knowledge (p= 0.000) and a significant relationship between HPV vaccine uptake and age of the respondents (p value = 0.044). Conclusions: Adolescents have good knowledge of HPV vaccine. Some factors implicated in the uptake were knowledge, age, cost of vaccine among others. Therefore, it is imperative that health professionals provide adequate information on HPV vaccination with emphasis on the importance of uptake.