Ijeoma Ezeome*, Joseph Ezugworie
Introduction: Cervical Cancer (CC) is a global public health issue, with four-fifth of the global burden found to be present in developing countries. Effectiveness of preventive strategies depends on the knowledge of cervical cancer, Human papilloma virus (HPV), HPV vaccine, and the acceptability of cervical screening and uptake of the vaccine. Men are the key decision makers in family life in Nigeria. We therefore sought to assess the acceptance and attitude of men towards HPV vaccination in the prevention of cervical cancer in Enugu, Southeast Nigeria.
Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study using self-administered questionnaires. Data analysis was by descriptive statistics and cross-tabulation using SPSS version 20.
Results: 146 (70.5%) of the respondents are aware of the aetiology of cervical cancer, but only 38.6% (80), 36.7% (76), and 30.9% (64) know that multiple sexual partners, early age of sexual intercourse and polygamy are important risk factors. Level of knowledge of HPV and HPV vaccines were 38 (18.4%) and 37 (17.9%) respectively. Acceptance of preadolescent vaccination was poor at 8.2% (son) and 35.7% (daughter). Good attitude to HPV vaccination was associated with being married (p=0.012) and being self-employed (p=0.005).
Conclusion: Men in Enugu Nigeria accept HPV vaccination for their wives, but not for their preadolescent children. This calls for reproductive health programs educating men as family decision makers on the greater benefits of primary prevention targeting preadolescents prior to sexual debut, while still encouraging pap smear screening among sexually active women and girls.