Prevention is better than cure: Awareness and acceptance of the HPV vaccine for condyloma acuminata (CA) among college students who self-report no sexual experience

Human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6 and 11 cause 90% of condyloma acuminata (CA). Timely vaccination reduces CA-related disease burdens, especially among sexually inexperienced college students, a critical catch-up group for vaccination. Few studies investigate sexually inexperienced college students' views on CA and HPV vaccination, despite research on general student HPV awareness. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Guangdong in May 2017, and recruited college students who self-identified as having no prior sexual relations. Participants completed a WeChat-based online questionnaire to assess their knowledge of HPV, CA, and acceptance of HPV vaccination for CA. A total of 2037 valid questionnaires were collected and analyzed. Knowledge of CA (26.3%) and HPV (18.9%) was low among college students who self-reported no sexual experience, as was the HPV vaccination rate (2.6%). However, their acceptance of the HPV vaccine for CA was relatively high (54.7%). Respondents were more likely to have received the HPV vaccine for CA if they had heard of CA (OR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.05-1.85), had actively learned about CA (OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.10-2.38), considered the vaccine safe (OR = 1.94, 95% CI: 1.03-3.65), and believed the vaccine effective in preventing CA (OR = 5.08, 95% CI: 2.05-12.59). Sexually inexperienced college students demonstrated insufficient knowledge of CA and HPV vaccines. Higher awareness of the safety and efficacy of the HPV vaccine, as well as knowledge about CA, were positive associated with the willingness to receive the HPV vaccine.