Knowledge and practices about cervical cancer and human papilloma virus among the women and the influencing factors

Abstract

Knowledge about Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), timely screening programs and early vaccination are crucial to prevent cervical cancer. Existing studies have reported a lack of knowledge and awareness about HPV, Pap tests and cervical cancers. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge, awareness and behaviors of the women about cervical cancer, HPV and HPV vaccine. This descriptive, cross-sectional design study was carried out at a family health center in Istanbul with the participation of 1050 women from March to July 2021. Information form and HPV Knowledge Scale (HPV-KS) were used for data collection. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis were used for data analysis. The mean score and standard deviation obtained from the HPV-KS were 11.80 ± 8.02. Although 77.5% of the participants had heard about Pap test, 57.9% did not have Pap test before. Besides, although 55.2% and 60.4% of the participants had heard about cervical cancer and HPV vaccine, respectively, only 6.6% had HPV vaccine before. Multiple regression analysis showed that the sociodemographic and clinical variables accounted for 22.7% of the knowledge about HPV (p < 0.001). The participants had low levels of knowledge about cervical cancer and HPV infection and vaccination. The study results can be used to inform educational interventions, which in turn, can increase knowledge in screening recipients.