Determinants of HPV vaccine uptake among female junior secondary school students in Uyo, Nigeria

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the main cause of cervical cancer, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, yet vaccine uptake remains suboptimal. This study assessed the determinants of HPV vaccine uptake among female junior secondary students in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 students from May to July 2024 using multi-stage sampling and structured interviewer-administered questionnaires to gather sociodemographic data and evaluate HPV vaccine knowledge, attitudes, and uptake, including barriers to vaccination. Analysis involved descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression using GraphPad Prism 9, with significance at p ≤ 0.05. The study revealed that 37.3% had poor HPV knowledge, 51.3% had fair knowledge, and 11.5% had good knowledge. Although 90% exhibited positive attitudes, only 36.3% had received at least one vaccine dose, and just 5.5% completed the vaccination series. Determinants of HPV vaccine uptake included being a preadolescent at age 9 (aOR = 4.16, 95% CI 1.86–9.57, p = 0.0006), early adolescence at 10–13 years (aOR = 3.01, 1.66–5.70, p = 0.0004), being in JSS1 (aOR = 2.28, 1.14–4.77, p = 0.0231), or JSS2 (aOR = 3.39, 1.62–7.38, p = 0.0015) while students from the Anang ethnic group were significantly less likely to be vaccinated (aOR = 0.15, 0.04–0.49, p = 0.0032). Barriers included limited awareness, logistical challenges, and safety concerns. Despite favourable attitudes, HPV vaccine uptake and completion among students were low, highlighting urgent needs for targeted interventions and improved vaccine accessibility.