Background: Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women in India, with a significant proportion of the female population at risk

Objective: To determine the impact of a health education programme on knowledge regarding cervical cancer and HPV vaccination among adolescent girls, and to explore factors influencing baseline knowledge.

Methods: A sequential explanatory mixed-methods, one-group pre-test post-test+ design was employed for this pilot study, among 60 adolescent girls in selected schools in Karnataka. For the quantitative phase, the samples were selected using a multistage stratified random sampling technique, and for the qualitative phase purposive sampling technique was used. After the pre-test, two focus group discussions (FGDs) with five participants each were conducted to explore factors influencing low knowledge. Post-test was conducted after the health education

Results: Pre-test knowledge was low, with 73.3% of participants having inadequate knowledge. The FGDs revealed key barriers, including a lack of structured health education, misconceptions and myths, and limited parental guidance. Post-intervention, adequate knowledge increased to 83.3%, with significant improvements in knowledge (mean difference = 6.40, t = -20.342, p < 0.001).