HPV Vaccine Awareness, Uptake, Intention, and Influencing Factors among Medical Students in Anhui, China: A Cross-Sectional Study

Although prophylactic vaccination is highly effective against human papillomavirus (HPV), HPV vaccine uptake among Chinese college students remains insufficient, and evidence among medical university students, particularly males, remains limited. Following the recent approval of male HPV vaccines in China, this study evaluated vaccine awareness, acceptance, and potential barriers among both sexes. A cross-sectional online survey of 831 full-time undergraduate students at Anhui Medical University was conducted from October to December 2025. While overall HPV vaccine awareness was high (88.33%), the actual vaccination rate remained low at 25.55% (54.40% among females). Overall vaccination intention was 67.27%, exhibiting a profound gender disparity (92.80% in females vs. 46.27% in males, P < .001). Multivariable analyses showed that female vaccination uptake was significantly associated with familial socioeconomic factors, particularly monthly living allowance and maternal educational attainment. In male students, neutral or opposing attitudes toward a national male HPV vaccination policy were associated with lower vaccination intention (OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.409-0.898; OR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.084-0.756), whereas a maximum acceptable vaccine cost of RMB 1,000-2,000 was associated with higher intention (OR = 1.61, 95% CI: 1.003-2.592). Additionally, female students showed higher HPV-related knowledge scores and greater reliance on interpersonal and professional information sources. Ultimately, these findings suggest that improving HPV vaccine uptake among medical university students in China may require targeted educational strategies and more accessible vaccination support, particularly for male students and those with fewer socioeconomic resources.