Improving Human Papillomavirus-Related Knowledge and Attitudes Among Ethnically Diverse Young Adults

Abstract

Purpose: To make baseline comparisons and evaluate the efficacy of an intervention designed to improve human papillomavirus (HPV) and HPV vaccine awareness, knowledge, and attitudes among ethnically diverse participants. Methods: Design: Pre- and post-intervention surveys. Setting: An urban, Hispanic-Serving South Florida university. Subjects: Three hundred eighty-seven diverse college students attending a gender studies course. Intervention: Students received a brief educational message designed to improve HPV-related knowledge and attitudes. Baseline and follow-up survey data were collected. Measures: Outcome measures included baseline and follow-up awareness of HPV, perceived knowledge of HPV and HPV vaccination, measured knowledge score, vaccine attitudes, and doses of HPV vaccine received. Analysis: Chi-square, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to compare baseline differences and evaluate the efficacy of the intervention. Results: Hispanic participants had more positive attitudes toward HPV vaccination (62% vs. 44%, p =0.009) and were more willing to become vaccinated (66% vs. 46%, p =0.02) than non-Hispanic participants at baseline. Hispanic women (48%) were more likely to have initiated HPV vaccination than Hispanic men (27%, p =0.006). At baseline, only 30% of participants scored ≥4/7 points in knowledge. Participants' HPV knowledge improved by 41% after the intervention, with no difference by ethnicity in the post-intervention score. Conclusion: The intervention was useful in improving HPV-related knowledge and attitudes among diverse college students. Future studies should examine barriers to vaccination among ethnic minorities.

HPV Prevalence and Genotype Distribution Among Women From Hengyang District of Hunan Province, China

“…The HPV infection rate of the youngest group (below 21 years) was high and different from that of Xishuang Banna ( 17), but in line with the data reported in some previous studies (30), suggesting that the higher urbanization may make the young women exposed to HPV infection more easily, which to a large extent may be ascribed to the early sexual activity. Moreover, it indicated that the HPV infection incidence showed a greater trend in the younger population and should not be neglected, indicating that the young people should improve their HPV-related knowledge more deeply for the prevention and intervention for cervical cancer (39).…”

“I Thought It Was Just For Teenagers”: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs about HPV Vaccination Among Women Aged 27 to 45

“…Quantitative studies of HPV and HPV vaccine-related KABs suggest most adults know about HPV, HPV-related cervical cancer, and HPV vaccines; however, few are aware that HPV causes noncervical cancers or that HPV vaccination is approved for 27-to 45-year-olds (Alber et al, 2021;Thompson et al, 2021). Among adults aged 27 to 45, HPV and HPV vaccine awareness has been found to be positively associated with being a woman, having a higher educational attainment, and having sought cancer information previously (Thompson et al, 2020), whereas studies of younger adults suggest KABs also vary by income, religion, race/ethnicity, urbanicity, and other sociodemographic characteristics (Bodson, Wilson, Warner, & Kepka, 2017;McBride & Singh, 2018;Mohammed et al, 2018;Preston & Darrow, 2019). Positive associations have been identified between adults' intentions to vaccinate and specific KABs, including perceived effectiveness against future HPV infections, perceived benefits from vaccination, perceived autonomy to be vaccinated, and positive attitudes and norms about HPV vaccination (Alber et al, 2021;Thompson et al, 2021).…”

An instrument assessing attitudes and beliefs toward human papillomavirus vaccination

“…Several instruments have been used in college students without testing the comprehensive psychometric properties to assess attitudes toward HPV vaccination. In the majority of the prior studies (Dany et al., 2015; Kim et al., 2019; Krawczyk et al., 2012; McMann & Trout, 2021; Preston & Darrow, 2019a; Preston & Darrow, 2019b; Stout et al., 2020; Villanueva et al., 2019), attitude instruments have been used without detailed information about the instruments and/or tests of the reliability and validity comprehensively. Thus, it was difficult to know whether those instruments were reliable and valid.…”