Factors Associated with Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Uptake Among Undergraduate Students in a Nigerian University: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Despite the proven effectiveness of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in the prevention of HPV-related malignancies, vaccine uptake remains low in many low- and middle-income countries, including Nigeria. This study assessed the level of HPV vaccine uptake and associated factors among undergraduate students at a Nigerian university.

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 410 undergraduates selected through a multi-stage sampling technique between July and September 2023. Data were collected using a structured, self-administered questionnaire and analysed with SPSS version 26.

Of the 410 male and female participants, 1.5% (6/410) received the HPV vaccine, all of whom were female (2.8% of the female respondents). Vaccine uptake was associated with knowing where to obtain the vaccine (p<0.001) and sex (p=0.037). Maternal levels of education, knowledge of the HPV vaccine, age, knowledge of HPV, and socioeconomic class were not related to vaccine uptake. Common reasons for non-uptake of the HPV vaccine included lack of awareness (63.2%; 211/334) and not knowing where to obtain the vaccine (19.2%; 64/334).

The uptake of the HPV vaccine was very low, with a major barrier to vaccination being a lack of awareness about the vaccine. Contribution This study provides a need to strengthened collaboration between university authorities and health authorities in raising awareness, improving accessibility, and enhancing the integration of HPV vaccination services within university settings in Nigeria. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Funding Statement This research was not funded by grants and was self-funded by the researcher. Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Not Applicable The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: Ethical approval was obtained from the University of Ilorin Ethics Review Committee and was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Not Applicable I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Not Applicable I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Not Applicable Data Availability The data associated with this study is available from the corresponding author upon a reasonable request Abbreviations - HPV - Human papillomavirus - WHO - World Health organization