Abstract
Cervical cancer is the second leading cancer among women in India, and the cancer incidence rate in India has increased in the past few years. Cervical cancer-causing infection is known as Human Papillomavirus infection (HPV). The World Health Organisation suggests that vaccination and early screening can prevent the disease. In this regard, the objective of the present study is to examine the awareness and perception of cervical cancer and its related vaccines among women in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. A cross-sectional study was conducted among women aged 18-60. The study is based on Health Belief Model constructs to analyse individuals’ opinions regarding cervical cancer and its preventive vaccine and how government intervention can increase awareness and reduce the cost burden.
References
1. Barro, Robert J. 1996. Health and Economic Growth. Washington, DC: World Health Organization.
2. Barve, A. V. 2016. College Students’ Attitudes toward Human Papillomavirus Vaccination. San Diego, CA: San Diego State University.
3. Bloom, David E., and David Canning. 2003. “Health as Human Capital and Its Impact on Economic Performance.” The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance 28: 304–15.
4. Burrow, Briana Nicole. 2023. Improving Campus Health Provider Recommendations Surrounding Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill College Campus. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina.
5. Champion, Victoria L., and Celette Sugg Skinner. 2008. “The Health Belief Model.” In Health Behavior and Health Education: Theory, Research, and Practice, edited by Karen Glanz, Barbara K. Rimer, and K. Viswanath, 45–62. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
6. Crowther, Meagan E., Sally A. Ferguson, Charlotte C. Gupta, and Amy C. Reynolds. 2024. “The Development and Validation of the Health Belief Model for Shift Workers (HBM-SW) Scale.” Behavioral Sleep Medicine: 352–77.
7. Datta, Satyajit, Syed Billah, Anik Halder, and Tarequr Rahman. 2024. “Factors Related to Cervical Cancer and Human Papillomavirus Awareness among Rural Women of Southern Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study.” Gynecologic Oncology Reports.
8. Frianto, Dedy, Didik Setiawan, Ajeng Diantini, and Auliya A. Suwantika. 2022. “Economic Evaluations of HPV Vaccination in Targeted Regions of Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review of Modelling Studies.” International Journal of Women’s Health.
9. Ghanta, Sandhya. 2015. Barriers to Immunization against HPV in Developing Countries (India). Ypsilanti, MI: Eastern Michigan University.
10. Ghate, Manisha, Kangjam Rekhadevi, Abhik Sen, Saurabh Sharma, Pallavi Shidhaye, Saritha Nair, Ashish Kumar, et al. 2025. “COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance and Associated Factors among Parents of Children between 6 and 12 Years: A Multicenter Mixed-Methods Study in India.” Frontiers in Public Health.
11. Ghosh, Supriti, Sneha Mallya, Sanjay M. Pattanshetty, Deeksha Pandey, Veena G. Kamath, Shama Prasada Kabekkodu, Kapaettu Satyamoorthy, and Ranjitha S. Shetty. 2024. “Awareness, Attitude, and Practice toward Cancer Cervix Prevention among Rural Women in Southern India: A Community-Based Study.” Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health.
12. Huang, Shaojie, Tiansong Zhou, Chengying Xu, and Jiahui Zheng. 2022. “Does Public Health Influence Economic Performance? Investigating the Role of Governance and Greener Energies in China.” Frontiers in Public Health.
13. Janousek, Jennifer J. 2010. Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs, and Predictors of Acceptance of the Human Papillomavirus Vaccination among College Women at a Midwest Lutheran University: A Quantitative Study. Minneapolis: Walden University.
14. Kaur, Karuna Nidhi, Farah Niazi, Dhruva Nandi, and Neha Taneja. 2024. “Gender-Neutral HPV Vaccine in India: Requisite for a Healthy Community—A Review.” Cancer Control 31: 1–15.
15. Khan, Samina Shams. 2014. Parental Acceptance of the Human Papillomavirus Vaccination among South Asian Immigrants Living in the Midwest USA. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University.
16. Krishna, Ekta, Shreyas Kumar Patil, Santosh Kumar Nirala, Bijaya Nanda Naik, Vijay Kumar, and Chanda Mani Singh. 2025. “Understanding Cervical Cancer, Human Papillomavirus (HPV), and HPV Vaccine Acceptance in College-Going Students: An Institutional-Based Cross-Sectional Study from Bihar State.” Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.
17. Larbie, Joycelyn M. 2023. Association between Knowledge of Human Papillomavirus, Related Cancers, and Barriers to Information. Minneapolis: Walden University.
18. Malik, Amyn A., Noureen Ahmed, Mehr Shafiq, Jad A. Elharake, Erin James, Kate Nyhan, Elliott Paintsil, and Hannah Melchinger. 2023. “Behavioural Interventions for Vaccination Uptake: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Health Policy.
19. Mengist, Abraham Degarege. 2019. Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Acceptability among Parents of Adolescent Girls in Mysore, India. Miami: Florida International University.
20. Organisation, World Health. 2020. Global Strategy to Accelerate the Elimination of Cervical Cancer as a Public Health Problem. Geneva: World Health Organization.
21. Pathak, Pratima, Pratima Ghimire, Shyam Kala Chaudhary, Nebina Piya, and Nira Shrestha. 2025. “Awareness, Practice, and Barriers Regarding Cervical Cancer Screening among Women of Kageshwori Manohara Municipality, Nepal.” Obstetrics and Gynecology International. https://doi.org/10.1155/ogi/5325540.
22. Ramamoorthi, Thilagavathi, Vaitheeswaran Kulothungan, Krishnan Sathishkumar, Nifty Tomy, Rohith Mohan, Sheeba Balan, and Prashant Mathur. 2024. “Burden of Cervical Cancer in India: Estimates of Years of Life Lost, Years Lived with Disability, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years Using National Cancer Registry Programme Data.” Reproductive Health.
23. Richardson, Evonne R. 2021. Administration of the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine to the Adolescent Population: Does Lack of Parental Education and Attitudes Affect Vaccine Acceptance? Weston, MA: Regis College.
24. Rijal, Bishnu Maya, and Pratima Dawadi. 2024. “Knowledge, Attitudes, and Associated Factors Regarding Cervical Cancer and Its Screening Practice among Women of Central Nepal.” Heliyon 10 (14).
25. Walwekar, Mahendra, Anil Sakhare, and Shailesh Vaidya. 2024. “Awareness of Pap Smear and HPV Vaccine among Girls and Women Visiting OPD: A Cross-Sectional Study.” Research Journal of Medical Sciences: 282–86.
26. Woll, Lauren E. 2023. Encouraging Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Uptake: A Healthcare Improvement Project. St. Louis: University of Missouri.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
