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Background <p>Despite high Human Papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence and the rank of cervical cancer as the second leading cause of cancer incidence and mortality among Nigerian women, HPV knowledge and vaccination remain poor, especially in rural settings in Nigeria. Ebonyi State is reported among the most affected areas, with HPV prevalence reaching 71.1%. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a school-based health education intervention on HPV knowledge and willingness to receive the HPV vaccine among female secondary school students in Ebonyi State.</p> Methods <p>This study utilised a pre- and post-test design. A total of 474 female students aged 9–14 years were selected from the three senatorial zones using multi-stage random sampling. The intervention included structured health education sessions on key topics delivered by trained health educators. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Data analysis, including descriptive and inferential statistics (paired samples t-test and McNemar’s test), was conducted using SPSS Version 26.</p> Result <p>At the pre-intervention stage, 83.5% of participants had low HPV knowledge. Following the intervention across the schools, 96% achieved high knowledge, with mean knowledge scores rising from 5.36 ± 6.26 to 23.41 ± 2.51 (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). Among 193 participants who completed willingness items at both stages, willingness to receive HPV vaccine increased from 35.2% to 79.8% (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). Only 10.6% of participants had been vaccinated. Lack of awareness, fear of side effects, vaccine unavailability, and parental objections were reported as reasons for poor vaccine uptake.</p> Conclusion <p>This study demonstrates that school-based health education intervention is effective in improving HPV knowledge and willingness to receive HPV vaccine among female students. Translating these gains into actual vaccine uptake requires political commitment towards the integration of school-based health education interventions, engaging parents and guardians, and addressing barriers to vaccination, such as cost, vaccine availability, and safety concerns.</p>

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HPV knowledge and willingness to receive HPV vaccine among female secondary school students in Ebonyi State, Nigeria: a pre-post evaluation of an educational intervention

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月14日

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  • Chinenye Angela Ogbu,
  • Elvis Anyaehiechukwu Okolie,
  • Austine Okpaga Ume,
  • Obiageri Florence Ajah,
  • Felicity Nneoma Okolie,
  • Augustine Okpani Oko,
  • Cosmas Nnadozie Ezejindu

摘要

Background

Despite high Human Papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence and the rank of cervical cancer as the second leading cause of cancer incidence and mortality among Nigerian women, HPV knowledge and vaccination remain poor, especially in rural settings in Nigeria. Ebonyi State is reported among the most affected areas, with HPV prevalence reaching 71.1%. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a school-based health education intervention on HPV knowledge and willingness to receive the HPV vaccine among female secondary school students in Ebonyi State.

Methods

This study utilised a pre- and post-test design. A total of 474 female students aged 9–14 years were selected from the three senatorial zones using multi-stage random sampling. The intervention included structured health education sessions on key topics delivered by trained health educators. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Data analysis, including descriptive and inferential statistics (paired samples t-test and McNemar’s test), was conducted using SPSS Version 26.

Result

At the pre-intervention stage, 83.5% of participants had low HPV knowledge. Following the intervention across the schools, 96% achieved high knowledge, with mean knowledge scores rising from 5.36 ± 6.26 to 23.41 ± 2.51 (p < 0.001). Among 193 participants who completed willingness items at both stages, willingness to receive HPV vaccine increased from 35.2% to 79.8% (p < 0.001). Only 10.6% of participants had been vaccinated. Lack of awareness, fear of side effects, vaccine unavailability, and parental objections were reported as reasons for poor vaccine uptake.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that school-based health education intervention is effective in improving HPV knowledge and willingness to receive HPV vaccine among female students. Translating these gains into actual vaccine uptake requires political commitment towards the integration of school-based health education interventions, engaging parents and guardians, and addressing barriers to vaccination, such as cost, vaccine availability, and safety concerns.