The Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) Regarding Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Among Women in Karachi, Pakistan

Abstract

Background:The burden of STIs in Pakistan is much larger than reported. Various research studies indicate that the knowledge of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) in the women is low. The objective of this study is to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practice regarding STIs, HPV and sexual behaviors of contraceptive practice among women in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: The current study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Karachi from Aug 2014-Aug 2015, including 600 women (aged 19-50 years) by convenience sampling technique from waiting areas of out-patient clinics. Results: The mean age of participants was 39.5 ± 10.7 years. Eighty eight percent women (n = 529) were married, 8% (n = 50) female were unmarried and around 3% (n = 19) female were divorced, separated or widowed. Participants with no knowledge about STIs and viruses causing some cancers were 57% (n = 341) and 70% (n = 418) respectively. There was no knowledge about Pap smear in 80% (n = 479) of study population and the proportion of women not attending the annual gynecological examination were 88% (n = 525). Vaccine acceptability was found to be as low as 38% (n = 225). A similar trend 12% (n = 71) was seen in the response about willing to pay by themselves for the vaccination cost. Conclusion: The current study highlights inadequate knowledge about STDS, HPV, cervical cancer and its screening among women. Public health awareness programs should be raised at community level in order to increase the health seeking behavior of women.

Awareness of Cervical Cancer and Attitude Toward Human Papillomavirus and Its Vaccine Among Ghanaians

“…Even though there was a higher willingness of participants to accept the vaccination, the primary complaints among participants not willing to accept the vaccination were how safe the vaccine is, in addition to the acceptability of it worldwide and the price of the vaccine. This finding is similar to a study by ( 50 ), where participants were willing to undertake the vaccination at a free cost or receives a subsidiary from the government ( 51 ). Endarti et al further showed that the knowledge of vaccine effectiveness increased the willingness of people to undertake vaccination ( 51 ).…”

“…Among the 1,376 participants involved in this survey, 1,240 participants (90.1%) representing 456 males (33.1%) and 784 females (57.0%) were aware of the terminology "cervical cancer." When stratified by gender, women had significantly greater knowledge, compared to men in terms of "cervical cancer being common in middle age (35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46)(47)(48)(49)(50) females" (75.5 vs. 67.5%, respectively, p ≤ 0.001). These participants were examined further to test their knowledge on some risk factors and symptoms of cervical cancer, as presented in Tables 2-4.…”

Knowledge, Perception, and Prevention Practices Related to Human Papillomavirus-based Cervical Cancer and Its Socioeconomic Correlates Among Women in Karachi, Pakistan

“…In a study conducted in Indonesia, almost all of the participants were willing to go for HPV vaccination with the most encouraging factor being the belief in the efficacy of the vaccine [24]. However, a study conducted in Karachi showed that only 37.5% were willing to accept the vaccination for themselves, among which almost half of the women believed that the cost of vaccines should be subsidized by the government [30]. These findings are strikingly similar to our study where 49% of women consented to go for vaccination if it was provided free of cost.…”

Awareness Regarding Pap Smear Among Female University Students of Karachi: A Cross-sectional Survey

“…The degree of awareness and practice of Pap test in our study is lower than expected, as most of the participants included in the study were from medical universities. Similarly, Ismail H et al reported that only 9% women were attending gynecology clinics for their annual gynecological examination and only 13.7% of women had Pap smear done in their life [ 11 ]. Findings of a study from India were no different where although 58.6% knew about the availability of screening tests, only 3% had opted for a Pap smear [ 12 ].…”