Awareness about human papillomavirus as a cause of cervical cancer and its prevention in the undergraduate female students of Karachi.

Objective: To determine the rate of acceptance of human papillomavirus vaccine for prevention of cervical cancer, and to identify causes of its low acceptance and means of encouraging its uptake.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at five different universities of Karachi, from July to December 2011, and comprised female undergraduate students. The participants, aged between 17-26 years, were in their first four years of undergraduate studies, and were selected from five universities.