Awareness of and attitude towards human papillomavirus infection and vaccination for cervical cancer prevention among adult males and females in Korea: A nationwide interview survey

Abstract We assessed adult male and female awareness and acceptance of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and vaccination for cervical cancer prevention, as well as factors associated with willingness to be administered the HPV vaccine. A nationwide population-based interview survey was conducted in Korea. One thousand male and female adults were included with random sampling. Despite the fact that awareness of HPV infection (13.3%) and the preventive effect of HPV vaccination (8.6%) were low, willingness to vaccinate against HPV (55.0%) was relatively high, especially with regard to participants’ daughters (77.0%). Those who were informed about HPV infection (adjusted odds ratio, aOR = 2.5 and 95% confidence interval, CI = 1.1–5.3 in males; aOR = 2.5 and 95% CI = 1.5–4.2 in females) or vaccination (aOR = 2.9 and 95% CI = 1.1–7.6 in males; aOR = 2.9 and 95% CI = 1.6–5.4 in females), or who perceived a susceptibility to HPV infection (aOR = 3.6 and 95% CI = 1.9–6.8 in males; aOR = 2.8 and 95% CI = 1.6–5.0 in females) were more accepting of vaccination than those who did not. Appropriate knowledge transfer, guidance from a health professional, and reductions in the cost of the vaccine are key issues in promoting awareness of HPV infection and vaccination for cervical cancer prevention.