Comprehensive Understanding of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Among Mothers of Adolescent Girls from Urban Slums: A Descriptive Study

Abstract

Background: India accounts for 1/6^th of the population around the world, with cancer of the cervix being 2^nd commonest cancers to be affecting women as compared to other cancers. It is also said to be calculated for 25% in terms of sickness & death ratios. Out of average studies, few focused on adolescent girls , teenage girls and adults. Health awareness intervention was effective in raising the awareness & willingness towards vaccination. Barriers were identified among them relate to cultural influences. It was concluded that action towards health awareness among the mothers, parents, women population has to be increased.

Statistics in Maharashtra revealed that 10,666 women among one crore are suspected to be suffering with cervical cancer. Additional Directorate of Health Services stated that Human Papillomavirus vaccine would soon be included in the immunization schedule. Hence it has been stressed time and again the importance of health education in various health programs launched by government. It has be seen as a tool for vaccine acceptance among the population.

Methodology: This descriptive study was conducted in the urban slums of metropolitan city in the state of Maharashtra between July 2024 to January 2025, among mothers of adolescent girls from urban slums. A structured tool which was validated & was found to be reliable was utilized to understand the knowledge level of the samples.

Results: Total samples who participated in the study were 200, where the maximum age of the samples was between 36-40 years, 51% of samples were secondary educated, 48.5% were employed in government and private services, an equal number were from middle class income group, when questioned about their awareness about Human Papillomavirus it was revealed that 43% got information from television , 31% were informed by health workers , 20% educated from mass media & 6% received information from family and friends. Statistical analysis depicted that 50% of the samples had average knowledge, 45% had good knowledge & 5% of mothers of adolescent girls had poor knowledge (p<0.05). The mean score calculated was 14.15 for standard deviation of 3.24.There is significant association between knowledge score and demographic variables education and information of HPV vaccine with chi square statistical calculations. Demographic variable of education saw significant association with knowledge level at df of 4, Chi square cal val 11.472 > Chi t val 9.4877 for p val 0,021> 0.05 , which revelas significant association.The dempgraphic variable of spurce of information was also associated with the knowledge level at df of 1, Chi square cal val 37.65 > Chi t val 3.84 for p val 0.001> 0.05 , which reveals significant association.

Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of education and information dissemination in promoting awareness of the HPV vaccine among mothers. The findings suggest that mothers with higher education levels are more likely to have better knowledge about the HPV vaccine, indicating that education may be a critical factor in improving vaccine uptake. Moreover, the significant association between prior knowledge of the vaccine and higher scores emphasizes the need for targeted public health campaigns to raise awareness among those who are less informed.The lack of association between knowledge and other demographic factors such as age, occupation, or income suggests that misconceptions about the vaccine may be prevalent across various socioeconomic groups. Public health interventions should thus be broad-based but tailored to address specific gaps in understanding.

Categories: Public Health, Obstetrics & Gynaecology Nursing, Health Education