Current knowledge of and attitudes toward human papillomavirus‐related disease prevention among Japanese: A large‐scale questionnaire study

Abstract

Aim The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rate in Japan fell to nearly 0% following widespread coverage of possible adverse events. Developing a next approach to promote the effective prevention of HPV‐related diseases including cervical cancer (CC) in Japan requires comprehensive understanding of knowledge and attitudes regarding CC prevention, HPV infection and HPV vaccination among the population including laypersons and medical professions in Japan. Methods A questionnaire survey was administered in a wide variety of settings in Japan. The questionnaire contained items on knowledge about CC, HPV infection and HPV vaccination; awareness of the HPV vaccine's effectiveness and associated adverse events; and attitudes toward the HPV vaccination for their daughters and for men/boys. Results Of 3033 targeted people, complete survey responses were received from 1182 men and 1602 women (total: 2784). The male laypersons’ group had significantly lower knowledge than did the female laypersons’ group (adjusted odds ratio, aOR = 3.86, P < 0.001). Compared with the male laypersons’ group, the female laypersons’ group tended to have less positive attitudes toward HPV vaccination for their daughters (aOR = 0.78, P = 0.006), but the female laypersons’ group showed more positive attitudes toward vaccinating men/boys (aOR = 1.93, P < 0.001). Conclusion The survey results indicated that men in Japan generally lacked knowledge and awareness of HPV‐related diseases and their prevention. However, women had more negative attitudes toward HPV vaccination for their daughters than did men. Increasing male involvement in HPV prevention and changing women's perceptions of the HPV vaccine are essential steps to increase the HPV vaccination rate.

Knowledge about the human papillomavirus among high school and university students a comprehensive questionnaire study from Southeast Turkey

“…In congruence with the German study, studies by Barnard et al . and Suzuki et al . have also determined that males have lower levels of knowledge on HPV than females.…”

Awareness of oral and genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in young adolescents prior to gender-neutral vaccination

“…The observations that both genders were aware of HPV's association with cervical cancer, with males having lower awareness, and both genders having limited awareness of HPV causing other cancers, confirms the findings of other studies 16–24. Our cohort’s poor knowledge that HPV causes warts also ratifies other studies 20 22 23…”

“…Data were collected using a questionnaire that focused on HPV diseases and vaccination. Although there are validated HPV questionnaires,18 21 we developed a new questionnaire, guided by other questionnaires,21 22 due to the lack of pre-existing questionnaires for male and female 12–13-year-olds that included oral HPV questions. The questionnaire was not designed as a psychometric scale to measure scores on particular constructs; instead it functioned as a series of individual questions, so factor analysis and measures of reliability such as Cronbach’s alpha are not applicable.…”

The Influence of Selected Variables on Lower Secondary School Students’ Concepts About Diseases

“…Thandar et al (2019) found out, for example, that women had better knowledge and fewer wrong ideas about diseases. Similar results were shown in the research of Suzuki et al (2019), where female had a better knowledge of papillomavirus-related disease and also about prevention of it. The inconsistency between research and other results could lie in the sample size, more concretely in the age of the sample size.…”