High intention, low uptake: HPV vaccination knowledge, attitudes, and behavior among women attending a tertiary gynecology clinic in Turkey.
- 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey.
- 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey. [email protected].
Abstract
Background
HPV vaccination prevents cervical cancer, yet uptake remains variable, particularly where it is not publicly funded. We assessed HPV knowledge, attitudes, and vaccination behavior - including stated intention, actual uptake, and reasons for non-vaccination - among women attending a gynecology clinic in Istanbul, Turkey.Methods
This cross-sectional study enrolled 305 women aged ≥ 18 years at the gynecology clinic of Yeditepe University Hospital between January and April 2026. A structured questionnaire assessed sociodemographics, HPV and vaccine knowledge (scored 0-10 and 0-6), attitudes (seven 5-point Likert items), and vaccination history. Acceptance was defined as agreement with willingness to vaccinate; uptake as self-reported prior vaccination. Multivariable logistic regression identified factors independently associated with each outcome.Results
Mean age was 38.1 ± 10.6 years; 68.5% had university education and 17.4% were healthcare workers. Mean HPV knowledge score was 7.25 ± 1.65, with notable gaps: 36.7% knew HPV is not exclusive to women, 57.4% knew condoms do not fully prevent transmission, and 60.0% understood infection is often asymptomatic. While 86.6% intended to vaccinate, actual uptake was 38.7% - an intention-uptake gap of 47.9% points. Cost was the most cited reason among unvaccinated women (71.0%). Education, knowledge, and preventive gynecological care were not independently associated with uptake; healthcare-worker status was the only independent predictor (aOR 2.01, 95% CI 1.07-3.80; p = 0.030).Conclusion
HPV vaccine acceptance was high but uptake was substantially lower, with cost the most frequent barrier. These findings highlight the intention-uptake gap and specific knowledge deficits relevant for future research.
Related
- Knowledge, attitudes and practices of vaccination among older adults in Brunei Darussalam: a convergent mixed-method study
- Knowledge, Perception, and Intention to Promote Malaria Vaccination Among Students in Southwestern Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Study.
- Knowledge, trust, and multidimensional perceptions of human papillomavirus vaccination among women attending a single primary care centre in Astana, Kazakhstan: a cross-sectional study.
- Knowledge, attitudes and perceptions about influenza vaccination among pregnant women in Kuwait: a descriptive cross-sectional study
- Which changes in adolescents' knowledge, attitudes, and practices following a school-based intervention in France increase HPV vaccination uptake and intentions? A mediation analysis
BibTeX
@article{oncu2026high,
title = {{High intention, low uptake: HPV vaccination knowledge, attitudes, and behavior among women attending a tertiary gynecology clinic in Turkey.}},
author = {Esra Öncü and Zeynep Ece Utkan Korun and Melis Gökçe Koçer Yazıcı and Mert Yeşiladalı and Rukset Attar and Necip Erkut Attar},
journal = {BMC public health},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s12889-026-28646-w},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42897523},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - High intention, low uptake: HPV vaccination knowledge, attitudes, and behavior among women attending a tertiary gynecology clinic in Turkey.
AU - Esra Öncü
AU - Zeynep Ece Utkan Korun
AU - Melis Gökçe Koçer Yazıcı
AU - Mert Yeşiladalı
AU - Rukset Attar
AU - Necip Erkut Attar
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - BMC public health
DO - 10.1186/s12889-026-28646-w
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42897523
AB - Background HPV vaccination prevents cervical cancer, yet uptake remains variable, particularly where it is not publicly funded. We assessed HPV knowledge, attitudes, and vaccination behavior - including stated intention, actual uptake, and reasons for non-vaccination - among women attending a gynecology clinic in Istanbul, Turkey.Methods This cross-sectional study enrolled 305 women aged ≥ 18 years at the gynecology clinic of Yeditepe University Hospital between January and April 2026. A structured questionnaire assessed sociodemographics, HPV and vaccine knowledge (scored 0-10 and 0-6), attitudes (seven 5-point Likert items), and vaccination history. Acceptance was defined as agreement with willingness to vaccinate; uptake as self-reported prior vaccination. Multivariable logistic regression identified factors independently associated with each outcome.Results Mean age was 38.1 ± 10.6 years; 68.5% had university education and 17.4% were healthcare workers. Mean HPV knowledge score was 7.25 ± 1.65, with notable gaps: 36.7% knew HPV is not exclusive to women, 57.4% knew condoms do not fully prevent transmission, and 60.0% understood infection is often asymptomatic. While 86.6% intended to vaccinate, actual uptake was 38.7% - an intention-uptake gap of 47.9% points. Cost was the most cited reason among unvaccinated women (71.0%). Education, knowledge, and preventive gynecological care were not independently associated with uptake; healthcare-worker status was the only independent predictor (aOR 2.01, 95% CI 1.07-3.80; p = 0.030).Conclusion HPV vaccine acceptance was high but uptake was substantially lower, with cost the most frequent barrier. These findings highlight the intention-uptake gap and specific knowledge deficits relevant for future research.
SN - 1471-2458
ER -