FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPTAKE AND WILLINGNESS TO RECEIVE HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS VACCINE AMONG FEMALE STUDENTS IN BABCOCK UNIVERSITY, OGUN STATE.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a prevalent sexually transmitted infection linked to various cancers, including cervical cancer, which poses a substantial health burden in Nigeria. Vaccination against HPV has been shown to be highly effective in preventing infection and associated cancers. Given the rise in sexual relationships in our society, vaccination is now imperative for young adults. However, many countries still have inadequate HPV vaccination rates even though the vaccine is readily available. This is especially true for female students, who are more likely to contract HPV and experience related health issues. Given that early vaccination is necessary for the best chance of protection against HPV infection, the low vaccination rate among female students raises serious concerns for public health. This research aims to investigate the factors associated with the uptake and willingness to receive HPV vaccination among female university students in Nigeria. Descriptive research design was used for the study and 449 female students in Babcock University were recruited using Cochran’s formula. The questionnaire used was adopted through reviewing different literature and previous similar studies and had an internal consistency of 0.79 using Cronbach alpha. The questionnaires were presented via google forms and hardcopy forms. Response rate was 100%. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics in form of frequency, mean, and standard deviation. Pearson’s chi-square was used to test the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. Results showed that 76.4% of the respondents exhibited high knowledge about HPV infection. Despite the high knowledge, 76.2% of the respondents have not received the HPV and only 54.3% exhibited a fair attitude regarding the uptake of the HPV vaccine. It was revealed that the age of the respondents was not significantly associated with uptake level with a p=0.466. This study concluded that the uptake and willingness to receive human papillomavirus vaccine among female students in Babcock University was affected by various factors. Therefore, the study recommends that government authorities should develop and implement comprehensive educational campaigns targeting various demographic groups and academic institutions should consider implementing school-based HPV vaccination programs to reach adolescents at an age-appropriate time.