Perception of Human Papilloma Virus infection and acceptance of its testing among women of reproductive age in a low-resource setting, Ghana

Problem consideredHuman Papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a significant public health concern globally, particularly among young women. Globally, 662, 000 cervical cancer cases were reported. In Ghana, the prevalence of HPV infection among females was 2, 797. Yet there is limited understanding of the perception of HPV infection and acceptance of its testing among women of reproductive age especially those in New Takoradi as evidenced by poor uptake of the test. This study aimed to investigate the perception of HPV infection and its testing among women of reproductive age in New Takoradi, Western Region of Ghana.MethodsUsing a quantitative cross-sectional design, 323 women aged 18–49 years were surveyed. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse the data.ResultsMajority of the respondents (70.6 %) were aged 18–30 years, had completed senior high school (SHS) (43.3 %) and single (61 %). A third of participants (30 %) perceived HPV to affect only promiscuous women, curable (53.6 %) and causes infertility (81.7 %). Whereas two-thirds (66.3 %) of participants were willing to undergo HPV testing in the next 6 months, majority (80.5 %) were willing to do so out of fear of contracting the disease.ConclusionThe study's findings highlighted the importance of education and awareness campaigns to promote HPV testing among women of reproductive age in Ghana and similar contexts.