The effect of the education program based on health belief model on university students' knowledge and health belief levels about human papilloma virus infection and vaccination

Aim: This study aims to determine the effect of an education program based on the Health Belief Model on university students' knowledge and health belief levels regarding Human Papillomavirus infection and vaccination. Materials and Methods: The research is a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study. It was conducted at a vocational school of Aydın Adnan Menderes University between September 2022 and June 2024. The population of the research comprised 335 students, and the sample consisted of 235 students. By drawing lots among five departments, three departments formed the experimental group and two departments formed the control group. This practice was aimed to prevent transmission among students. In the study, a Student Information Form, the Health Belief Model Scale for Human Papillomavirus Infection and Vaccination, and the Human Papillomavirus Knowledge Scale were used. During the implementation phase of the research, the experimental group students received 6 sessions of education aimed at improving their knowledge levels regarding Human Papillomavirus Infection and Vaccination. At the beginning of the six-session education, one month after the education, and three months after the education, data was collected by administering a questionnaire. The data of the research were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Version 21 program. Normal distribution was evaluated using Gaussian Curve, minimum and maximum score range, and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests. Descriptive statistics, Pearson Chi-square test, Paired Samples test, Mann-Whitney U test, Likelihood Ratio test, Friedman test, and independent sample t-test were employed for data analysis. Values with p < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Before the implementation phase of the research, institutional permission, ethical committee approval, permission for scale usage, and written consent from the participants were obtained. Results: The study found that students had very low levels of knowledge about HPV infection and HPV vaccination. The experimental group's scores on the General HPV Knowledge, HPV Screening Test Knowledge, General HPV Vaccine Knowledge, and Knowledge about the Current HPV Vaccination Program sub-scales were significantly higher after the education compared to before (p < 0.005). The post-training 1st follow-up and post-training 2nd follow-up General HPV Knowledge scores of the control group were found to be higher compared to the pre-training scores. Additionally, the post-training 2nd follow-up Knowledge scores regarding the Current HPV Vaccination Program were higher compared to both pre-training and post-training 1st follow-up scores. (p<0,005). During the first follow-up after the education, the experimental group had significantly higher scores in the sub-dimensions of General HPV Knowledge, HPV Screening Test Knowledge, and Knowledge about the Current HPV Vaccination Program compared to the control group (p<0,005). During the first follow-up after the education, the experimental group had significantly higher scores in the sub-dimension of General HPV Vaccine Knowledge compared to the control group (p > 0.005). In the second follow-up application after the training, HPV Screening Test Knowledge and Knowledge about the Current HPV Vaccination Program subscale scores were found to be higher in the experimental group than the control group (p>0.005). The experimental group's pre-training scores on the sub-dimensions of Perceived Severity, Perceived Benefits, Perceived Barriers, and Perceived Susceptibility, as well as their post-training follow-up 1 and post-training follow-up 2 scores on these sub-dimensions, were found to be significantly lower (p<0,005).The control group's pre-training scores on the sub-dimensions of Perceived Severity, Perceived Benefits, Perceived Barriers, and Perceived Susceptibility, as well as their post-training follow-up 1 and post-training follow-up 2 scores on these sub-dimensions, were found to be significantly lower (p<0,005). Perceived Seriousness (1.88±0.98) and Perceived Benefit (1.75±0.84) subscale scores in the experimental group before training; In the control group, Perceived Seriousness (2.15±0.86) and Perceived Benefit (2.06±0.76) subscale scores were found to be lower, but higher at the first follow-up after training (p<0,005). In the second follow-up application after the training, Perceived Usefulness (2.44±0.74) and Perceived Sensitivity (2.50±0.77) subscale scores in the experimental group; It was found to be higher in the control group than the Perceived Usefulness (2.24±0.85) and Perceived Sensitivity (2.26±0.88) subscale scores. Conclusion: At the end of the training, participants showed significant improvement in knowledge about HPV, HPV vaccination, and HPV screening tests. These results demonstrate the importance of educational efforts.