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

ObjectivesTo 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.DesignA cross-sectional study. An interview-based questionnaire was used to measure HPV knowledge and attitude towards HPV vaccine.SettingTen randomly selected primary health centres (PHCs) in the Kingdom of Bahrain.Participants408 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 measuresExtent of awareness of HPV infection, acceptance of HPV vaccine and describing the results in association to gender, educational level and other demographics.ResultsA 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