Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Cyprus Journal of Medical Sciences, cilt.6, sa.1, ss.14-21, 2021 (ESCI, TRDizin)
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a virus that may cause cancer, and it is important to protect against HPV. This study was
carried out to determine the young women’s knowledge and attitudes toward the HPV and HPV vaccine.
MATERIALS and METHODS: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was completed with 533 young women in Turkey. A questionnaire form
consisting of a total of 26 questions investigating the socio-demographic characteristics of the students and their knowledge and attitudes
toward the HPV and HPV vaccine used. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences for Windows SPSS 20.0 (SPSS Inc.,
Chicago, IL, USA).
RESULTS: While 57% of the participants stated that they knew what HPV is, 66% stated that they learned this information during the course.
While 54% of the participants stated that they knew the routes of HPV transmission, 98% stated that HPV is sexually transmitted, and 59% stated
that HPV is transmitted through the blood. In the study, half of the participants heard of the HPV vaccine. However, there was no participant
who received the HPV vaccine among them. A significant difference was determined between having knowledge of HPV and knowing the routes
of HPV transmission, having heard of the HPV vaccine, intention to receive the HPV vaccine, intention to receive the HPV vaccine if it is freely
available, and intention to receive the HPV vaccine if it is recommended by the doctor (p<0.05).
CONCLUSION: This study revealed the need for education due to the lack of knowledge about the HPV and its’ vaccine.