HPV Vaccination Knowledge, Attitudes, and Uptake in College Nursing Students

Background: The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a preventable, sexually transmitted infection. The vaccines for HPV are safe and effective, but previous research demonstrated that nursing students have low knowledge levels and vaccine uptake. Low knowledge and attitude levels in nurses and nurse practitioners can influence parental and patient decision making for HPV vaccination. Purpose: The purpose of this scholarly project was to evaluate HPV knowledge and attitudes and their association with vaccination uptake in college nursing students. There is limited research in the United States on HPV knowledge, attitudes, and uptake of the vaccine among nursing students. Methods: This project was a replication study utilizing an anonymous, cross-sectional, online survey methodology to measure the HPV knowledge, attitudes, and uptake of the vaccine in nursing students. The survey was given to a convenience sample of undergraduate and graduate nursing students (n = 447) at a private, liberal arts university. Results: Nursing students had high knowledge and attitude scores. While there were no significant differences between knowledge between genders (p = .59), there were differences in knowledge between undergraduate and graduate students (p \u3c .001). There were no differences in attitude between genders and student classification. Knowledge was not associated with uptake (p = .63), but there was an association between attitudes and uptake (p Conclusion:This study supported that nursing students have high knowledge and attitude levels towards HPV and HPV vaccination, which may lead to improved vaccination uptake in the future