Background: Cervical cancer is the third leading cancer worldwide and the fourth leading cause of death due to cancer in women. In India, it causes over 74,000 deaths annually. The human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are the main cause of cervical cancer. As HPV infection is a vaccine-preventable disease, the WHO has considered HPV vaccination as primary prevention against cervical cancer. Materials and Methods: Study design and setting: This was an observational cross-sectional study conducted in all the healthcare professionals of the tertiary care hospital, i.e., G K General Hospital in Kutch. Study duration: This study was carried out in 3 months. Sample Size: our final sample size was 430. Sampling technique: simple random sampling method was used for enrollment. Inclusion criteria: All the healthcare professionals of a tertiary care hospital in western India who gave written consent. Exclusion criteria: participants who didn’t give written consent for this study. Study tool: The valid structured interview questionnaire consisted of three components: a subject information sheet, informed consent, and a questionnaire. Based on the results from the pilot study, appropriate corrections and modifications were made. Study variables: dependent variables (HPV vaccination) and independent variables (awareness, attitude, and sociodemographic data). Data collection: a pretested, valid questionnaire with a subject information sheet and informed consent was distributed to all the health care professionals. Responses collected through MS Excel. The data were statistically analyzed by the team of researcher and a conclusion will be drawn. Thus, anonymity and confidentiality of the participants will be guaranteed. Institutional Ethical Committee (IEC) approval had been taken before the data collection process. (GAIMS/IEC/APPROVAL/2024/106). Statistical analysis: Data were coded, entered, and analyzed using IBM SPSS software trial version 23 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). The data was analyzed by using descriptive statistics, including frequencies and percentages. A Chi-square test was applied to examine the associations between categorical variables. Results: A total of 388 participants were included, out of which only 75 (19.3%) were vaccinated against HPV, and 313 (80.7%) were not. The main reasons for unwillingness were safety concerns ( P = 0.002), doubts about effectiveness ( P = 0.001), and the belief that the vaccine was not protective ( P = 0.025). Other factors included cost, lack of acceptance, fear of injections, and family/community refusal. Occupational differences were noted, with undergraduates citing safety concerns and doctors doubting effectiveness. Conclusion: HPV vaccination coverage of participants was Marginal, i.e., 19.3%. Knowledge and attitude about HPV were positively associated with vaccination practices. Major obstacle for vaccine acceptance was concerns regarding safety, efficacy, and lack of Faith in protection . As hesitancy among healthcare professionals will reduce public trust in the vaccine, our utmost priority should be increase vaccine coverage among healthcare professionals.
Potdar et al. (Thu,) studied this question.