An assessment of the level of knowledge of secondary school students from the State of Pernambuco, Brazil, regarding Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and prophylactic vaccinations

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of high school students about HPV and their awareness that a vaccine is available as prophylactic treatment. Nine hundred and eighty-six students were surveyed-the gender distribution being 61.5% female and 38.5% male. Of those surveyed, 67.1% said they had heard of HPV, but only 53.3% of those familiar with the virus knew a prophylactic treatment was available. Female students knew more about HPV than did their male counterparts (71.6% v. 60%), consequently fewer males knew of the vaccine (58.3% v. 50.7%). The students' acceptance of the HPV vaccine as prophylactic treatment was correlated with both prior knowledge of the virus and the vaccine. Therefore, the study concluded that it is necessary to increase public awareness about HPV and with the availability of a the vaccine as preventative treatment. That is important due to a great level of resistance to vaccination in several states of Brazil. This study highlights the need for new public health policies.