Does the Decision to Avail HPV Vaccine Depend on the Level of Knowledge of Women Ages 25-35 Residing in Metro Manila on HPV and Cervical Cancer

Abstract

Cervical cancer ranks as the 2^nd leading cause of cancer among Filipino women wherein 70% of cervical cancer cases worldwide is caused by the human papillomavirus also known as HPV. Because of this, the HPV vaccine was made to protect people from getting infected with the said virus. However, despite the vaccine’s availability, women still die from and are being diagnosed with cervical cancer every year. This may be due to other factors that could influence one’s decision to get vaccinated or not. The study aimed to determine the relationship between the level of knowledge of women ages 25-35 in Metro Manila on HPV and cervical cancer and their decision to get immunized with HPV vaccine. The study utilized a correlational approach in collecting and analysing the data. A total of 65 respondents were included in the study wherein all of these respondents fit the inclusion criteria of being healthy, Filipino women who are 25-35 years old, and permanently residing in Metro Manila. An online survey through Google forms was deployed online through different social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Discord, and Twitter. The survey focused on testing the respondents’ knowledge on HPV, Cervical Cancer, and the HPV vaccine as well as asking about their disposition on HPV vaccination. The data from the study were subjected to Spearman’s rho correlation coefficient. The respondents are predominantly “knowledgeable” of HPV, Cervical cancer, and HPV immunization based on their recorded composite score (>50%) wherein more than half of the population were found to have high knowledge on HPV (98.5%), Cervical cancer (93.8%), and HPV vaccine (84.6%). Majority of the respondents (96.9%) also expressed their willingness to be inoculated with the HPV vaccine if it is available, contrary to those who are reluctant with acquiring the said vaccine (3.1%). There is no significant relationship (p>0.05) was found between the level of knowledge of women on HPV, cervical cancer, HPV immunization and their disposition on HPV vaccine acceptance. Results of this study showed that there was no correlation between the knowledge of the respondents on HPV, Cervical Cancer, and HPV Vaccine and their willingness to get inoculated with the HPV Vaccine. The findings of this study show that most of the respondents are knowledgeable about HPV, cervical cancer and the HPV vaccine. The majority of the participants are also willing to take the HPV vaccine if it is available to them. Several limitations that may have contributed to the results and findings of this study include the use of convenience sampling and the limited number of respondents. This study is expected to provide information regarding HPV and Cervical cancer which may be beneficial in strengthening, promoting and implementing programs that are related to cervical cancer prevention and awareness.