Knowledge and awareness of human papillomavirus (HPV): attitudes towards HPV vaccination among a representative sample of women in Victoria, Australia

Abstract

BACKGROUND: A vaccine program is underway to protect women against human papillomavirus (HPV) and thus cervical cancer. Previous studies have reported very low levels of HPV knowledge and there has been concern that preventative vaccines might not be readily accepted, given that HPV is transmitted sexually and the optimal time for vaccination is before sexual debut. METHODS: A computer-assisted telephone survey was carried out with a representative sample of 1100 women aged 18 to 61 years, randomly selected from households in Victoria, Australia, to investigate knowledge and attitudes about HPV and attitudes towards HPV vaccination. RESULTS: Half of the participants (51%) had heard of HPV; m..