Receptivity and Factors Associated with Cervical Cancer Preventive Measures in a Capital City of Northern Brazil

Abstract

Cervical Cancer is an important public health problem, especially in the North of Brazil, although there is vast academic knowledge about its pathophysiology and preventive measures. This study evaluated receptivity to the HPV vaccine and adherence to the Cervical Cancer Prevention exam (CCP) among Primary Care users in the city of Palmas, TO, in addition to identifying the socio-cultural factors and knowledge about HPV and vaccination associated with these forms of prevention. This was a quantitative cross-sectional study, with a stratified sample of 664 users, between 18 and 60 years old, from 30 Community Health Centers in the city of Palmas, TO. For association of variables, the chi-square test was adopted, with a significance level of 5%. HPV vaccine receptivity by users was 84.79% (n=563), while filial receptivity was 91.85% (n=575). Adherence to the CCP was 66.93% among the women surveyed (n=336). Inadequate knowledge about HPV and the vaccines was 70.34% (n=408) and 43.97% (n=266), respectively. Adequate knowledge about the virus and the HPV vaccination was associated with greater receptivity to filial vaccination (p=0.009 and p=0.001, respectively) and adherence to CCP (p=0.007 and p<0.001), which confirms the importance of education in health in disease prevention.

Keywords

• cervical neoplasms, papillomaviridae, pap test, papillomavirus vaccines. introduction