MYTHS, MISCONCEPTIONS, AND ACCEPTANCE OF HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS VACCINATION AMONG WOMEN IN A RURAL COMMUNITY: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Background: Cervical cancer remains one of the major preventable cancers affecting women, and prophylactic human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is central to current elimination strategies. In rural communities, however, acceptance often turns less on access alone and more on what women have heard, feared, or been told about fertility, safety, and sexual stigma. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 200 women aged 14 to 45 years from a rural community. Recorded variables were age, education, occupation, socioeconomic status, prior awareness of HPV, awareness of its link with cervical cancer, selected vaccine-related misconceptions, and willingness to accept HPV vaccination. Continuous variables were summarised as mean ± standard deviation, while categorical variables were expressed as frequency and percentage. Group comparisons used the independent-samples t test and chi-square test. Results: The mean age of participants was 30.4 ± 8.6 years. Overall, 134 women (67.0%) had heard of HPV, 103 (51.5%) knew of the HPV–cervical cancer link, and 104 (52.0%) expressed vaccine acceptance. Misconceptions remained frequent, with 84 women (42.0%) believing that the vaccine causes infertility, 72 (36.0%) linking it with promiscuity, and 96 (48.0%) considering it unsafe or experimental. Acceptance was higher among younger participants (mean age 24.2 ± 6.1 vs 37.1 ± 5.1 years, p < 0.001), and it showed significant associations with education, socioeconomic status, HPV awareness, and all three misconceptions. Conclusion: HPV vaccine acceptance in this rural sample was moderate and moved closely with awareness, education, and social position, while misinformation remained a major drag on uptake. Counselling in such settings needs to address infertility fears, sexual stigma, and safety concerns directly, rather than relying on generic awareness messages alone.