scholarly journals Awareness, knowledge, attitude and practices regarding human papilloma virus among female students at the University of Namibia

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Justus Amukugo ◽  
Blessing Rufaro Rungayi ◽  
Abel Karera

Purpose: The high prevalence of human papilloma virus (HPV) infection and its association with cervical cancer (as one of the leading causes of death in Namibia) makes it important to determine the level of understanding as well as beliefs of the public regarding HPV, especially that of young university female students. The purpose of the study was to determine awareness, knowledge, attitude and practices regarding HPV, among female students at the University of Namibia.Methods: A quantitative cross sectional research design was adopted using a convenient sample of 126 female students from the 534 females at the health sciences faculty, University of Namibia, Main Campus. Data was collected using a modified, adopted self-administered questionnaire and analysed using Microsoft Excel 2013.Results: The majority of participants were below 25 years (79.1%), single (91.7%) and nursing students (93.3%). HPV awareness was generally high with the majority aware of HPV infection (71%), cervical cancer (94.2%), genital warts (90%) and HPV vaccine (54.2%). Only 40% knew that HPV could be transmitted through skin to skin contact and only 9.2% knew that HPV was not associated with herpes. Attitude towards HPV was positive, 55% believed they were at risk of HPV and 82% were willing to receive the HPV vaccine. Practices regarding HPV were poor, 68% were sexually active, 40% reported using condoms sometimes, 7% never used condoms at all and 75% had never had a Pap smear test done.Conclusions: Level of awareness and knowledge of HPV, its related diseases and vaccines was moderate to high, attitude was generally positive whilst practice was poor among female students at the health sciences faculty, University of Namibia. Students need to be encouraged to engage in safe sexual practice to prevent and reduce risk of HPV infection.

Scientifica ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olusola Anuoluwapo Akanbi ◽  
Abiodun Iyanda ◽  
Folakemi Osundare ◽  
Oluyinka Oladele Opaleye

Background. Cervical cancer caused by human papilloma virus (HPV) though preventable has claimed the lives of many women worldwide. This study was embarked upon to evaluate the general knowledge and perceptions of Nigerian women on HPV, cervical cancer, and HPV vaccine.Methods. Structured questionnaires were administered to a cross section of 737 women randomly selected from the general population in two southwestern States of Nigeria. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS computer software version 16. APvalue >0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results. One hundred and seventy-six (23.9%) of the respondents had knowledge of HPV; 474 (64.3%) are aware of cervical cancer but only 136 (18.5%) know that HPV causes cervical cancer. 200 (27.1%) are aware that there is an HPV vaccine while 300 (40.7%) had knowledge of Pap smear test. Two hundred and sixty (35.3%) of the respondents know that early detection of HPV can prevent cervical cancer and in spite of this, only 110 (14.9%) have taken the Pap smear test before while 151 (20.5%) are not willing to go for the test at all.Conclusions. There is therefore the need to create proper awareness on the HPV and its possible consequence of cervical carcinoma.


Author(s):  
Suchith Hoblidar ◽  
Suma S. Moni ◽  
Rathnamala M. Desai ◽  
Asha Neravi

Background: Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of death in india. it is also one of the few malignancies where an infectious etiological agent human papilloma virus (HPV) has been identified. With the advent of HPV vaccination, it is possible to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with carcinoma cervix. But biggest hurdle to achieve this is the lack of awareness about the availability and use of HPV vaccine. This study was conducted to know knowledge and awareness of HPV infection and vaccination among medical and paramedical students. We also evaluated the acceptability and coverage of HPV vaccine among these students.Methods: This study was conducted among a total of 520 female students of the Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara University with the help of a questionnaire. The study group included 207 MBBS students, 167 BDS students, 89 nursing students and 57 physiotherapy students.Results: Most of the students were in 18-20 years’ age group. Nearly 40.57% of the students knew that HPV is sexually transmitted and 29.80% were aware that this infection can be prevented. Availability of HPV vaccine was known to 75% of the students and the main source of their information was through their college teachings. Nearly 43.75% of the students knew HPV vaccine protects against cervical cancer and 26.73% of the students were vaccinated. Overall knowledge and awareness were better among medical students.Conclusions: A lot of work needs to be done so as to make the target population accept HPV vaccine. There is a great difference between awareness of availability of the vaccine and its use. This emphasizes the need for health care professionals to take special interest in promoting this vaccine in the general population.


Author(s):  
Magbagbeola David Dairo ◽  
Moradeke Omoyemi Adeleke ◽  
Adetokunbo Taophic Salawu ◽  
Ayobami David Adewole

Abstract Background: Despite changing sexual norms and mores generally perceived to be permissive of sexual expression, parents continue to serve as gateways to uptake of reproductive health services and commodities in our cultural settings. However, their support for adolescent uptake of human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine are not well explored and documented. This study aims to assess parental knowledge and awareness of HPV infection and cervical cancer and their support for HPV vaccination for their adolescent children. Methods: In a descriptive cross sectional study 612 parents from in Ibadan North Local Government Area were interviewed using a pre-tested semi structured interviewer administered questionnaire to assess the awareness of HPV infection and cervical cancer as well as parental support for the vaccine. Results: Only a few of the respondents were aware of HPV infection (10.5%) and the HPV vaccine (6.5%), respectively. About 64.3% of those that were aware of HPV knew it can be transmitted through sexual intercourse. However, 78.4% supported the administration of the vaccine to their adolescent daughters. Reported reasons for not supporting HPV vaccination were high cost of the vaccine (32.2%) and lack of awareness of the vaccine (49.2%). Earning a monthly income above the minimum wage of 18,000 Naira increases the likelihood of parental support for HPV vaccination uptake for adolescents (p<0.001). Conclusion: Ignorance and poverty remain as barriers to widespread coverage of the vaccine among adolescents. Health education and promotion on HPV infection and the HPV vaccine to the general public and subsidization of the vaccine to promote its uptake is advocated.


Author(s):  
Anuradha Khemka ◽  
Shubhada Jajoo

Background: Carcinogenicity presents as a major challenge to scientists and society.. Cervical cancer ranks fifth in the world and is the second cause of death in developing countries like India and China. The rate of death due to cervical cancer is greatest in India. At any time women are at risk of harboring HPV infection, which has been seen to cause cervical cancer. Clinical judgment should be used in spite of all high quality modalities available for screening and diagnosis, as initiated by WHO (World health organization) the Down Staging of cervical cancer, VIA, VILI, Pap smear introduced by George Papanicolaou in 1940s , HPV testing by Immunocytochemistry (ICC) and  HPV DNA , Colposcopy , are other modalities to screen cervix. The study aims to evaluate the correlation between Pap smear, visual inspection and Immunocytochemistry of Human papilloma virus (HPV).Methods: All 100 consecutive women were subjected to visual inspection of cervix, Pap smear and immunocytochemistry of HPV. Pap smear was done by conventional method.Results: it was seen that out 100 consecutive cervico-vaginal, ears for Pap and Immunocytochemistry, only 33 were abnormal, 24 were ASCUS, 6 were LSIL, 2 were HSIL, 1 was SCC and 67 were NILM out of which 3 were reactive for ICC. And all 33 were reactive for ICC.Conclusions: The p16 immunostaining performed on conventional smears can become alternative or addition to l HPV DNA tests. The Bethesda System (TBS) 2001 for reporting cervical cytology diagnosis is of high value in detecting abnormal cervical cytology. It is further concluded that the ancillary screening for HPV in NILM category seems to be not advisable as percentage of detection of HPV in this category is low.  


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S599-S599
Author(s):  
Patrick Ovie. Fueta ◽  
Onyema Greg Chido-Amajuoyi

Abstract Background Human papilloma virus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States, with an annual incidence rate of approximately 14 million people. The HPV vaccine has been demonstrated to be highly effective in the prevention of HPV infection and HPV-associated diseases. This study aims to evaluate the impact of HPV vaccine on the prevalence of HPV infection in the United States and evaluate the trends of disease prevalence pre- and post-HPV vaccine implementation. Methods We conducted a secondary data analysis of the National Health and Education Survey (NHANES) for trends in HPV infection from 2003 to 2016. The analysis was grouped into a pre-HPV vaccine implementation (2003–2006) cohort including 4064 females, aged 18–59 years; and a post-HPV vaccine implementation (2007–2016) cohort which included 10718 females, aged 18–59 years. Further analysis of HPV infection prevalence, pre- and post-HPV vaccine implementation, stratified by sociodemographic characteristics were conducted. Results The prevalence of HPV infection prior to HPV vaccine implementation was 43.98% (95 CI 42.71%–46.58%) compared with 40.55% (95 C.I 40.55%–40.56%) in the post-HPV vaccine implementation era. Among females with HPV infections in the post-HPV vaccine implementation cohort 82.6 (95% CI 80.41%–83.42%) were unvaccinated. In both cohorts, black females had a significantly higher prevalence of HPV with a prevalence rate of 18.56% (95% CI 18.23%–20.56%) in the pre-HPV vaccine implementation cohort, and 15.61% (95% CI 14.82 – 19.4%) in the post-HPV vaccine implementation cohort. Females with less than high school education had a higher prevalence of HPV in the pre and post- HPV vaccine implementation cohorts with prevalence rates of 25.77% (95% CI 23.44%–28.72%) and 24.96% (95% CI 23.41%–25.67%), respectively. Conclusion The results suggest that HPV infection prevalence has declined since the implementation of HPV vaccine to US national immunization program. Our findings highlight disparities in HPV infection prevalence by race and educational status, and these patterns are in keeping with HPV-associated disease such as warts and HPV-associated cancers. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


Medicina ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (6) ◽  
pp. 229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnė Vitkauskaitė ◽  
Joana Celiešiūtė ◽  
Saulius Paškauskas ◽  
Erika Skrodenienė ◽  
Rūta Jolanta Nadišauskienė ◽  
...  

Background and objective: Lipocalin 2 (LCN2) has an oncogenic role in promoting tumorigenesis through enhancing tumor cell proliferation and the metastatic potential. The aim of our study was to determine whether serum LCN2 could serve as a diagnostic marker of cervical cancer (CC) and to evaluate the correlation between its serum concentration, the clinical stage of the cancer and Human Papilloma Virus HPV infections in women. Materials and methods: A total of 33 women with histologically proven cervical cancer (CC), 9 women with high- grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (HSIL) and 48 healthy women (NILM) were involved in the study. A concentration of LCN2 was assayed with the Magnetic LuminexR Assay multiplex kit. An HPV genotyping kit was used for the detection and differentiation of 15 high-risk (HR) HPV types in the liquid-based cytology medium (LBCM) and the tissue biopsy. Results: The majority (84.8%) of the women were infected by HPV16 in the CC group, and there was no woman with HPV16 in the control group (P < 0.01). Several types of HR HPV were found more often in the LBCM compared to in the tissue biopsy (P = 0.044). HPV16 was more frequently detected in the tissue biopsy than the LBCM (P < 0.05). The LCN2 level was higher in HPV-positive than in HPV-negative women (P = 0.029). The LCN2 concentration was significantly higher in women with stage IV than those with stage I CC (P = 0.021). Conclusions: Many HR HPV types, together with HPV16/18, can colonize the vagina and cervix, but often HPV16 alone penetrates into the tissue and causes CC. The serum LCN2 concentration was found to be associated not only with HR HPV infection, irrespective of the degree of cervical intraepithelial changes, but also with advanced clinical CC stage. LCN2 could be used to identify patients with advanced disease, who require a more aggressive treatment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 1197-1205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-e Ning ◽  
Yao Liu ◽  
Xiao-yu Xu ◽  
Xin-yu Zhang ◽  
Ning Wang ◽  
...  

AbstractThis study aimed to research the understanding and knowledge of cervical cancer, human papilloma virus (HPV), and HPV vaccination, and the acceptance of HPV vaccination, among a population of women in northeastern China. A cross-sectional survey was carried out by questionnaire to investigate knowledge of cervical cancer, HPV, and HPV vaccination. The 230 female participants were native residents of northeastern China, and their ages ranged between 18 and 65 years. Questionnaires were randomly acquired by the respondents from online and paper questionnaire distribution. The questionnaire included questions on three major aspects to record people’s perceptions of cervical cancer, HPV, and vaccines. Of the sample of 230 women surveyed, 80.9% had heard of cervical cancer, but understanding was only 15.7%; 38.3% knew about HPV; 20% knew about HPV vaccine; 39.6% agreed to receive HPV vaccination, and the remainder were mainly concerned about its safety and effectiveness. Data analysis showed that age, family income, and whether there was experience of screening all influenced knowledge of cervical cancer, but this was not statistically significant. The level of education had no obvious effect on the degree of knowledge about cervical cancer; however, with an improvement in education, women’s awareness of HPV vaccine improved significantly (p < 0.05). Women who have received cervical cancer screening had significantly greater knowledge about cervical cancer and HPV than those with no screening (p < 0.05). Women in northeastern China have little knowledge of cervical cancer, HPV, and HPV vaccine, lack disease knowledge, and hold a skeptical attitude about HPV vaccination. Medical institutions are the main channel providing information to these women.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 72s-73s
Author(s):  
Sean Parkinson ◽  
Ian Bambury ◽  
Carole Rattray

Abstract 51 Background: Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in Jamaica with an incidence of 17.4/100,000. (1). Cervical cancer is acquired sexually, with the human papilloma virus (HPV) being the most important causative agent (2,3). HPV infection is associated with the development of other cancers such as anogenital, vaginal, vulvar and anal cancers in women, and penile and anal cancers in men.(2) It is also responsible for genital warts and oropharyngeal cancer in both men and women. Two vaccines were approved for the prevention of cervical cancer by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are available in Jamaica (4,5). This study assessed the knowledge and attitudes in a male cohort towards HPV and HPV vaccine. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study in which two hundred male students were recruited. Information for this study was gathered from responses given in a self-administered questionnaire. Data was analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 20. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 22.6 years. 50.5% stated that they had heard of HPV. Of those who knew of the HPV, only 37.6% vs 39.6% of respondents reported that sexual intercourse was a requirement for HPV transmission, while 22.8% did not know. 43% reported knowing that HPV causes genital warts and 42% knew of an association with cervical cancer. 16.5% of the respondents knew of the HPV vaccine. Only 21.2% knew that the HPV vaccine protects against cervical cancer while the remaining 78.8% either said that it didn't provide protection or did not know. 15.3% knew that the vaccine is approved for both males and females while 84.7% did not know. Conclusion: There was significant knowledge deficit in the awareness of HPV and the HPV vaccine in our male university students. Gibson, T.N., et al., Age-specific incidence of cancer in Kingston and St. Andrew, Jamaica, 2003-2007. West Indian Med J, 2010. 59(5): p. 456-64. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Basic information about HPV –associated cancers. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/hpv/basic_info . 2013. Bosch, F.X. and S. de Sanjose, Chapter 1: Human papillomavirus and cervical cancer-- burden and assessment of causality. J Natl Cancer Inst Monogr, 2003(31): p. 3-13. FDA licensure of bivalent Human Papillomavirus vaccine (HPV2,Cervarix) for use in females and updated vaccination recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) .Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). MMWR Morb Mort Wkly Rep, 2010(59): p. 626-9. FDA, “FDA Approves New Vaccine Indication for Gardasil to Prevent Genital Warts in Men and Boys,” Bethesda, Md, USA. 2009. AUTHORS' DISCLOSURES OF POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: No COIs from the authors.


Author(s):  
Aisha Nasser Al Saadi ◽  
Aisha Hamed Al Muqbali ◽  
Eihab Dawi

Objectives: This study aimed to assess knowledge of cervical cancer and its prevention among Omani women aged 20 to 65 years. Method: This analytic cross-sectional study took place at primary healthcare institutions, in the Al Buraimi governorate, Oman, between November 2018 I believe that in response to comment #5 too much information may have been removed from the Results section, therefore we return the first two paragraphs that were removed to the Results section and make them more concise during the copy editing stage.  and February 2019. The study was carried out on the basis of a predesigned, validated, and self-administered 55 question questionnaire. Results: Data from seven hundred and ninety-one completed questionnaires were included in the final analysis, which represents a response rate of 79.1% of the total. The results of the study indicated that 86.7 percent of surveyed women had previously heard of cervical cancer, and 13.0 per cent assumed the possibility of this disease to affect them in the future. The results showed that women had low awareness of the association between Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and cervical cancer (24.7%). Participants considered HPV infection and initiation of sexual intercourse at an age younger than 17 years as the lowest risks associated with cervical cancer. The results also indicated that 63.8% of women were unaware of a vaccination 'against HPV related cervical cancer' and many of respondents were unaware of Pap test. Women aged over 30 years, those married, and those with a high level of education were more likely to be aware of cervical cancer. Conclusion: General knowledge of cervical cancer among women aged 20 to 65 years is insufficient. Young women aged 20-30 are largely unaware. Thus, concerted efforts are needed to promote awareness among women in Oman. Keywords: Cervical cancer, risk factor, Human Papilloma Virus, vaccine, Pap test.


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