Near-peer education by medical students and its association with HPV vaccination knowledge and attitudes among Japanese adolescents: An exploratory intervention study.

Authors

Kanon Nakajima, Asami Yagi, Kokoro Taira, Runa Otsubo, Riki Wakugawa, Hidesane Arai, Kae Yahagi, Yohei Fujino, Takagui Kawakami Hanaka, Tatsuki Ishimoto, Natsume Okamoto, Erika Yukimitsu, Rintaro Kiyota, Yutaka Ueda

Published in

Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics. Volume 22. Issue 1. Pages 2724650. Epub Sep 02, 2026.

Abstract

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is a key preventive measure against cervical cancer. In Japan, proactive recommendations for HPV vaccination were suspended from 2013 to 2022, resulting in persistently low coverage. We explored the post-intervention knowledge, attitudes, and short -term self-reported HPV vaccination behavior following a near-peer educational intervention by medical students. Between February 2022 and March 2024, medical students conducted 1-hour sessions covering HPV transmission, cervical cancer prevention, and vaccine efficacy. The sessions incorporated quizzes, discussions, and workshops in which high school students created role-play scenarios or social media messages to promote HPV vaccination. A follow-up survey was administered 1-2 weeks after the sessions to assess vaccination uptake, knowledge, and self-reported explanatory ability. Of 864 junior and senior high school students who participated in the sessions, 332 were included in the followed-up analysis. Of these, 248 were unvaccinated before the session: 134 females and 114 males. Within two weeks, 10 female (7.5%) and one male (0.9%) reported receiving HPV vaccination. Students with positive vaccination intentions demonstrated higher comprehension scores than those without such intentions. Voluntary participants had higher knowledge scores than whole-class attendees. Subjective and objective comprehension scores were positively correlated, although there were some discrepancies. Vaccinated respondents were more likely than unvaccinated respondents to correctly identify HPV-preventable cancers. Near-peer outreach sessions delivered by medical students may represent a useful approach to enhancing adolescents' understanding of HPV vaccination. Leveraging the near-peer position of medical students may be a promising approach to address vaccine hesitancy in Japan.

PMID:
42687414
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 03 Sep 2026.

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