Awareness of HPV infection and attitudes toward HPV vaccination among Latvian adolescents

Objective To evaluate awareness of HPV and its vaccine among Latvian adolescents. Methods A cross‐sectional survey was conducted in a 2‐week period in September 2015 among 270 adolescents attending a secondary school in Riga, Latvia. All students present during sexual‐health classes (grades 10–12 [aged 16–21 years]) were included. A self‐administered paper‐based survey assessed sociodemographic factors, sexual behaviours, smear history and knowledge of sexually transmitted infections, HPV and HPV vaccine knowledge, and sources of information. Results Overall, 121 surveys were completed (62 by male students and 59 by female students). Latvian adolescents lacked awareness of HPV: only 26 (21.5%) had heard of HPV (21 [35.6%] female students vs 5 [8.1%] male students; P