Knowledge, Attitude, Practice and Acceptance of HPV Vaccination among Nursing and Allied Health Sciences Students at a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is a central preventive strategy for cervical cancer, but uptake remains low among many young adult populations. Healthcare trainees are important because their own vaccination behavior and future counseling role can influence community acceptance. Aims and Objectives: This study aimed to assess knowledge, attitude, self-reported counseling-related practice, vaccination status, and acceptance of HPV vaccination among nursing and allied health sciences students at a tertiary care teaching hospital. Materials and Methods: This institution-based cross-sectional study analyzed 317 valid responses collected througha structured, self-administered Google Form from 189 nursing students and 128 allied health sciences students. Because 1st-year students constituted 64.7% of the sample, practice-related indicators were interpreted descriptively as exposure-dependent self-reports rather than measures of clinical competence. Vaccination status andbehavioral res ponses were not independently verified. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests were used, with P<0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age was 19.44±1.56 years. Only 15 students (4.7%) reported previous HPV vaccination. Adequate knowledge was observed in 195 students(61.5%) and a positive attitude in 243 students (76.7%). Immediate Willingness to receive the vaccine was reported by 176 students (55.5%), whereas 116 students (36.6%) wanted further information. First-year students accounted for 205 (64.7%);103 (32.5%) were in 2nd year or later/internship, and the academic year was unavailable for 9 (2.8%). Routine counseling was reported by 84 (26.5%), but this finding is strongly influenced by the predominance of students with limited clinical exposure. Conclusion: HPV vaccine uptake was very low despite favorable attitudes and high conditional acceptance. The marked 1st-year predominance limits interpretation of counseling practice, and the online self-report method may overestimate favorable attitudes or intentions. Structured education linked to accessible campus vaccination and future year-stratified evaluation is warranted.