Investigation of the knowledge levels of female university students about Human Papilloma Virüs (HPV)

Investigation of the Knowledge Levels of Female University Students About Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Our study was conducted to determine the knowledge levels of female university students in Adana regarding HPV, HPV screening test, and HPV vaccine and to increase awareness. 1,092 female students studying at Çukurova University in Adana and Adana Alparslan Türkeş University of Science and Technology in the 2023-2024 academic year participated in our study. A face-to-face survey consisting of questions including sociodemographic information and the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Knowledge Scale was applied to the participating students between March 01 and September 30, 2024. The average age of the 1,092 female students participating in our study was determined to be 21.4±3.3. 78.3% of the participants stated that they had heard of HPV, 60% about the HPV test, and 72.2% about the HPV vaccine before. The rate of students who knew that HPV causes cervical cancer is 61.5%. The students' "HPV Knowledge Scale Total" score average was 10.0 (min: 0, max: 33), the "General HPV knowledge" sub-dimension score average was 6.5, the "Information on Current HPV Vaccination Program" sub-dimension score average was 1, the "General HPV Vaccine Knowledge" sub-dimension score average was 1.5 and the "HPV Screening Test Knowledge" sub-dimension score average was 1.0. The total HPV Knowledge Scale and all sub-scale scores of the students with high levels of HPV, HPV test and HPV vaccine awareness were found to be significantly higher (p<0.001). The total HPV knowledge scale score and sub-factor scores of students studying at health faculties were found to be statistically significant (p<0.001) compared to students studying at non-health faculties. Only 2.3% of the participants stated that they had received the HPV vaccine. The most common reasons for not getting vaccinated were; 44% (469) stated that the HPV vaccine was unheard of/not sufficiently known, 30.6% (326) that it was expensive/paid, and 24.2% (258) that it was not at risk of infection/not needed. 86.5% of the students wanted the HPV vaccine to be added to the national vaccination program. It was determined that the level of knowledge of female students about HPV was insufficient (HPV-BÖ mean-score: 10.0). Awareness studies should be conducted about cervical cancer and HPV to increase the vaccination rates of university students. It would be appropriate to receive training and consultancy services from experts in the field in schools to access accurate information. Key words: Human Papillomavirus, Cervical Cancer, Vaccine, Women's Health