Knowledge towards human papilloma virus (HPV) infection and attitude towards its vaccine in the Kingdom of Bahrain: cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES: To determine the level of awareness of human papilloma virus (HPV) infection and to assess attitudes towards receiving the vaccine among men and women in Bahrain. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. An interview-based questionnaire was used to measure HPV knowledge and attitude towards HPV vaccine. SETTING: Ten randomly selected primary health centres (PHCs) in the Kingdom of Bahrain. PARTICIPANTS: 408 PHC attendees, including 268 women and 140 men aged 18–65 years. Only residents from Bahrain and English or Arabic speakers were invited to participate. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Extent of awareness of HPV infection, acceptance of HPV vaccine and describing the results in association to gender, educational level and other demographics. RESULTS: A response rate of 91.4% was achieved, with a majority being female responders as opposed to male responders (65.7% vs 34.3%, respectively). Only 13.5% of the participants had heard of HPV, with female gender and employment in the health sector (p<0.001 for both) having a significant association with awareness of HPV. The majority of the participants (76%) were willing to take the vaccine if recommended, with 84.8% believing that both genders should be vaccinated. However, 48.5% were concerned about possible side effects from the vaccine and 83.6% wanted reassurance that the vaccine will protect against HPV. More than 90% of the participants agreed on the need for educating the community about the HPV infection. CONCLUSION: Despite the limited knowledge about HPV infection among the study’s participants, there is a favourable attitude towards the HPV vaccine. These data can support the initiation of a nationwide HPV immunisation programme.