Determination of awareness and knowledge levels of men between the ages of 18-45 applying to tekirdağ namik Kemal University Hospital family medicine clinic about HPV and HPV vaccine

This study was conducted to determine and increase the awareness and knowledge levels of male patients between the ages of 18-45 about HPV and the HPV vaccine.This study was planned as a single-center, descriptive and cross-sectional study. 255 patients who applied to Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University Hospital Family Medicine Polyclinic were included in the study. The data was collected between 01.07.2023 and 01.12.2023 with a face-to-face survey form. The content of the survey form included questions about the participants, an awareness and knowledge survey about HPV and the HPV vaccine, which we prepared by scanning the literature and whose content validity index was 0.98. The data obtained were evaluated in the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 15.0 statistical package program. Descriptive statistics are given as mean, standard deviation, median for numerical variables, and as number and percentage for categorical variables. Exploratory factor analysis was applied to evaluate validity and reliability, and factor loadings of the items, item total correlation values, and Cronbach's alpha value were calculated. Confirmatory factor analysis was carried out with the R studio package program. The suitability of the data for normal distribution was evaluated with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and since the data did not comply with the normal distribution, Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal Wallis tests were used. Statistical significance level was considered significant when p<0.05.152 (59.6%) of the men stated that they did not have information about HPV, 250 (98.0%) stated that they had not received the HPV vaccine, 102 (40.0%) stated that they did not consider getting the HPV vaccine, and 144 (56,5%) stated they thought it was difficult to access the HPV vaccine. The median (min-max) score of the men in the study group from the survey was 24.0 (6.0-32.0) and the mean (SD) was 23.20. The results of this study showed that more than half of the men had not heard of the HPV vaccine, almost all of the men had not received the HPV vaccine, and the majority thought it was difficult to access the vaccine.However, men's general HPV knowledge was average and their knowledge of the current HPV vaccination program was low. In addition, men's awareness and knowledge survey scores about HPV and the HPV vaccine were at an average level, and HPV knowledge affected men's attitudes and behaviors.It may be recommended to take initiatives to increase men's knowledge about general HPV and the HPV vaccine. Thus, by increasing the vaccination rates in men, herd immunity can be achieved, which will contribute to the elimination of HPV. As family physicians who take part in preventive medicine services, we play an important role in increasing the health awareness of the society, preventing diseases and treating them with early diagnosis. Eliminating the lack of information is also an important part of this process. We think that interest and awareness of the HPV vaccine will increase with continuous training and information.