School lessons could be key to beating cervical cancer in Low-Income nations
NCT ID NCT07784283
First seen Aug 25, 2026 · Last updated Aug 26, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This large school-based study in Cambodia and Kenya tests whether adding age-appropriate lessons about HPV, the HPV vaccine, and cervical cancer to existing health classes can increase vaccination coverage and improve students' knowledge and attitudes. About 9,000 students in grades 3-9 will participate, with some schools receiving the extra education and others continuing their usual curriculum. Researchers will compare vaccination rates and survey responses between the two groups, and also interview teachers, caregivers, and health workers to see if the program is practical and affordable.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Integrated HPV education delivered by trained teachers in school health classes
- What this could lead to
- If effective, this low-cost, school-based education model could be scaled to boost HPV vaccination rates and reduce cervical cancer risk in low-resource settings.
- What could go wrong
- The trial's non-randomized design and reliance on school records may limit the strength of conclusions. Results may not generalize beyond these countries or grade levels.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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9,054 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Dec 2024
- Finished
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Jan 2026
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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Children (under 18), adults (18 to 64) and older adults (65 and over)
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Student educational intervention population: Girls and boys enrolled in the country-specific target grades at participating schools (Cambodia: Grades 3-5; Kenya: Grades 4-8 during intervention implementation). In Kenya, the targeted cohorts progressed to Grades 5-9 by the January 2026 endline. Student eligibility for the educational intervention was primarily grade-based rather than based on a single numerical age restriction. * Student KAP questionnaire participants: Students in the relevant study grades at selected KAP schools who met country-specific consent/assent and literacy requirements. KAP recruitment used independent repeated cross-sectional samples at baseline and endline; individual students were not longitudinally linked across rounds. * HPV vaccination coverage population: Girls eligible for routine HPV vaccination in participating schools according to country-specific national vaccination policy (9-year-old girls in Cambodia; girls aged 10-14 years in Kenya). These age criteria applied to the vaccination coverage outcome and did not define eligibility for exposure to the educational curriculum. * Caregivers: Age 18 years or older, caring for an age/grade-eligible student at a participating school, able to provide informed consent, and able to communicate in the applicable study language(s). * Teachers: Age 18 years or older, involved in relevant school health/SRH education, able to provide informed consent, and able to communicate in the applicable study language(s). Teacher qualitative feasibility interviews were conducted in intervention settings. * Healthcare workers: Age 18 years or older, working in a health facility serving participating-school catchment areas, involved in HPV immunization and/or education, able to provide informed consent, and able to communicate in the applicable study language(s). Healthcare-worker qualitative feasibility interviews were conducted in intervention settings. Exclusion Criteria: * Students outside the applicable study grades or not attending participating schools; for the KAP questionnaire, students without the required consent/assent or who did not meet country-specific literacy requirements. * Caregivers, teachers, or healthcare workers younger than 18 years, unable to provide informed consent, unable to communicate in the applicable study language(s), or not meeting the relevant role-based eligibility criteria.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Participating primary schools, Kampong Cham Province
Kampong Cham, Kampong Cham, Cambodia
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Participating primary schools, Kilifi County
Kilifi, Kilifi County, Kenya
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Participating primary schools, Kratie Province
Kratie, Kratie, Cambodia
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Participating primary schools, Migori County
Migori, Migori County, Kenya
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Participating primary schools, Nairobi County
Nairobi, Nairobi County, Kenya
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Health education boosts Well-Being in cervical cancer patients?
- Can a broader HPV vaccine boost protection after the original shot?
- Kenya's Mother-Daughter program aims to slash cervical cancer deaths
- One shot to prevent cancer: new HPV vaccine tested in zambia
- Survivor stories aim to boost HPV shots in kids
- Can training and reminders boost cervical cancer prevention? malawi trial aims to find out.