Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Towards Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and HPV Vaccination among Students at Higher Institutions of Learning in Buea, South West Region of Cameroon: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common viral sexually transmitted infection (STI) of the reproductive tract, causing a range of diseases in men and women. HPV causes almost half a million cases of cervical cancer and 250,000 related deaths, 80% of which occur in developing countries. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices towards HPV and HPV vaccination among students at higher institutions of learning in Buea. Methods A cross-sectional study design was used, where participants were selected from nine higher institutions of learning in Buea by means of random sampling. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect information from 414 participants. A descriptive summary of the data was presented via frequency tables, percentages and graphs via Microsoft Excel. The descriptive statistics were mostly used to describe the outcome variables as percentages. The logistic regression model was used to test for associations between knowledge, attitudes and practices and the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants, and Pearson’s chi square test was used to examine the associations between the dependent variables and sex. A P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The data were analysed via Microsoft Excel 2013 and the statistical software R studio version 4.2.1. Results Among the respondents, 56% (231/414) were females and 44% (183/414) were males, of whom only 1% (4/414) had good knowledge of HPV and its vaccination, and 11.8% (49/414) and 87.2% (361/414) had moderate and poor knowledge, respectively. With respect to attitudes towards HPV and HPV vaccination, 37% (153/414) and 63% (261/414) demonstrated negative and positive attitudes, respectively, whereas 86.2% (357/417) and 13.8% (57/414) demonstrated adequate and inadequate practices, respectively. There was a statistically significant association between knowledge and sex ( P  = 0.032, χ2 = 6.857) and between attitudes and sex ( P  = 0.007, χ 2 = 6.857). However, there was not a statistically significant association between practice and sex ( P  = 0.438, χ2 = 0.438). Conclusions Generally, this study revealed that students at higher institutions of learning in Buea do not have sufficient knowledge about HPV and HPV vaccination. However, this study highlights the need for more health campaigns to increase awareness of the disease in schools.