Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40115541›Full record

ArticleJournal of pharmaceutical policy and practice2025

From awareness to acceptance: understanding HPV and vaccine knowledge, attitudes and beliefs among university students in Punjab, Pakistan.

Naveel Atif, Furqan Khurshid Hashmi, Usman Rashid Malik, Mohsin Ahmad Ghauri, Ali Hassan Gillani, Mukhtar Kadirhaz, Minghuan Jiang, Jie Chang, Yu Fang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Determinants of HPV vaccine hesitancy in South Asia: a systematic review.Clinical and experimental vaccine research · 2026
    Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Naveel AtifDepartment of Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6810-6133
Furqan Khurshid HashmiPunjab University College of Pharmacy, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4921-3739
Usman Rashid MalikDepartment of Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8872-9749
Mohsin Ahmad GhauriDepartment of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Lahore University of Biological and Applied Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2599-1528
Ali Hassan GillaniDepartment of Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.
Mukhtar KadirhazDepartment of Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.
Minghuan JiangDepartment of Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.
Jie ChangDepartment of Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.
Yu FangDepartment of Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infections can lead to various cancers globally, and immunization can prevent HPV-associated cancers. This study intended to evaluate university students' knowledge, awareness, and attitudes/beliefs toward HPV and HPV vaccine uptake in Punjab, Pakistan. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in ten institutes across six cities using pre-validated questionnaires. Descriptive statistics and Rasch analysis were utilized to describe awareness levels, knowledge, and attitudes scores respectively. Regression analysis was utilized to explore association between demographic factors, knowledge levels, and attitudes/ beliefs. SPSS® (IBM, version 23.0) and Winstep® (version 3.75.0) software were used for analysis. Results: Out of 1200 students approached, 1056 responded (response rate 88.0%). The mean age of students was 19.5 ± 0.5 years; 31.3% had heard about HPV, 16.4% were aware of the HPV vaccine's availability, and 2.3% were vaccinated against HPV. The mean Rasch knowledge score was -0.368 logits (SD: 0.893; SEM: 0.027), depicting below-average HPV knowledge. The mean Rasch attitudes/beliefs score was 0.049 logits (SD: 1.013; SEM: 0.031), which depicted positive attitudes towards HPV and its vaccination. Females (OR:1.742; 95%CI: 1.352-2.320), health-sciences students (OR: 1.692; 95%CI: 1.290-2.220), and urban residents (OR:1.621; 95%CI: 1.244-2.223) possessed positive attitudes towards HPV vaccination. Recommendations from physicians (Median: 4.0; IQR: 4.0-5.0) followed by parents (Median: 4.0; IQR: 3.0-5.0), and friends (Median: 4.0; IQR: 3.0-4.0) shaped vaccination decisions. Conclusion: Despite their inadequate knowledge levels and poor vaccine uptake, students showed positive attitudes towards HPV vaccination. Awareness about HPV, including testing and vaccination, should be raised through community outreach programs, social media, and university curricula.

Indexed as

attitudescancer preventioncervical cancerhealth promotionHPV genotypesHPV vaccineHuman papillomavirus (HPV)knowledge

Identifiers

PMID40115541
PMCPMC11924255

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.