Cervical Cancer and Human Papillomavirus Awareness among Women in Antigua and Barbuda

Sep 24, 2026

Cervical cancer remains a major cause of cancer-related mortality in women, with human papillomavirus (HPV) recognized as its primary etiological driver. As effective HPV vaccination has reduced incidence and deaths in developed settings, rising expected burdens in Latin America and the Caribbean motivate evidence on HPV, cervical cancer, HPV vaccination, and prevention awareness. An observational cross-sectional study surveyed 467 women aged 18–65 in Antigua and Barbuda using online consent and questionnaires analyzed in QualtricsXM. Awareness of HPV and screening procedures was high, yet HPV vaccination uptake was low, while many participants expressed willingness for vaccination and further information. Findings support national health education and vaccine outreach.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Abstract

Materials and methods

Results

Conclusions

medicina Article Cervical Cancer and Human Papillomavirus Awareness among Women in Antigua and Barbuda Prasanna Honnavar 1, *, Edmond Mansoor 2, Cherie Tulloch 3, Uttam Udayan 1, Isabella Cosmello 4,†, Purva Patel 4,† and Ashley Bersma 4,† Citation: Honnavar, P.; Mansoor, E.; Tulloch, C.; Udayan, U.; Cosmello, I.; Patel, P.; Bersma, A. Cervical Cancer and Human Papillomavirus Awareness among Women in Antigua and Barbuda. Medicina 2023, 59, 1230. [https://doi.org/10.3390/](https://doi.org/10.3390/)[ ](https://doi.org/10.3390/)medicina59071230 Academic Editor: Vasilios Pergialiotis Received: 11 May 2023 Revised: 31 May 2023 Accepted: 5 June 2023 Published: 30 June 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[ ](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[4.0/](4.0/)) . 1 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, American University of Antigua College of Medicine, St. Johns 1451, Antigua and Barbuda; [uudayan@auamed.net](uudayan@auamed.net) 2 Department of Clinical Medicine, American University of Antigua College of Medicine, St. Johns 1451, Antigua and Barbuda; [emansoor@auamed.net](emansoor@auamed.net) 3 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre, St. Johns 1451, Antigua and Barbuda; [cherietulloch@gmail.com](cherietulloch@gmail.com) 4 Basic Medical Science, American University of Antigua College of Medicine, St. Johns 1451, Antigua and Barbuda; [isabellac@auamed.net](isabellac@auamed.net) (I.C.); [purvap@auamed.net](purvap@auamed.net) (P.P.); [ashleyber@auamed.net](ashleyber@auamed.net) (A.B.) * [Correspondence: phonnavar@auamed.net](Correspondence: phonnavar@auamed.net) † These authors contributed equally to this work. Abstract: Background and objectives: Cervical cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women. Human papilloma virus (HPV) is known to cause cervical cancer. The incidence and mortality of cervical cancer has drastically reduced due to effective vaccination against HPV in developed countries. The projected rise in cervical cancer cases in Latin American and Caribbean countries necessitates a study to evaluate awareness about HPV, cervical cancer, the HPV vaccine, and prevention among women in Antigua and Barbuda. Materials and methods: This was an observational, cross-sectional study. The participants were women aged between 18 and 65 years, residing in Antigua and Barbuda. The study was conducted over the period of February to April 2023 . After taking informed consent electronically, sociodemographic and behavioral data was collected through questionnaires sent out as links and QR-codes and were analyzed by QualtricsXM . The association between the demographic groups and awareness about HPV, cervical cancer, the HPV vaccine, and prevention was analyzed by a Chi-square test. Results: In total, 467 women were included in the study. The percentage of participants aware of HPV was 91.6%(n = 412) . A total of 70.7%(n = 318) and 56.7%(n = 255) women were aware that cervical cancer is caused by HPV and is sexually transmitted, respectively. Although 70.6%(n = 315) of participants were aware that the vaccine protects against HPV, only 12.8%(n = 57) were vaccinated. Of the participants, 49.7%(n = 192) were willing to get vaccinated. The percentage of participants aware of the Papanicolaou (Pap) smear procedure was 98.9%(n = 435) and 87.8%(n = 382) had a Pap smear within the last 10 years while 12.2%(n = 53) never had a Pap smear screening. The willingness to know more information about HPV and the HPV vaccine among the participants was 77%(n = 335) . Conclusions: The overall awareness among women in Antigua and Barbuda about HPV, cervical cancer, the HPV vaccine, and prevention w

FAQs

What was the study design and who participated?

The study was observational and cross-sectional. Women aged 18–65 residing in Antigua and Barbuda participated (n=467).

How aware were participants about HPV and cervical cancer?

Most participants were aware of HPV (91.6%). Awareness that cervical cancer is caused by HPV and is sexually transmitted was 70.7% and 56.7%, respectively.

What were the findings on HPV vaccination and willingness to get vaccinated?

Although 70.6% knew the vaccine protects against HPV, only 12.8% had been vaccinated. Among participants, 49.7% were willing to get vaccinated, and 77% wanted more information about HPV and the HPV vaccine.

Sep 24, 2026

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