Indian Journal of Health Sciences and Biomedical Research KLEU (Sep 2024)
Effect of health education on the awareness of human papillomavirus infection among undergraduate students of a health sciences university – An interventional study
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a significant public health concern associated with various cancers. Despite available vaccines, knowledge gaps persist among healthcare students, impacting vaccine uptake. This study aimed to assess the impact of an educational intervention on health-care students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding HPV infection and vaccination. Furthermore, the study aimed to assess the potential barriers to vaccination. METHODOLOGY: A pre- post-interventional study was conducted among 656 undergraduate healthcare students over a period of 1 year to assess baseline knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to HPV infection and vaccination using a self-structured validated questionnaire. Following this, an educational intervention, in the form of an interactive PowerPoint presentation, was conducted. Moreover, posttest surveys were administered 1 month after the intervention. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS v23.0. RESULTS: The median age of the students in the study was 21 years. Pretest surveys revealed knowledge gaps and misconceptions among participants with a knowledge score of 10.59 ± 6.58 (mean ± standard deviation [SD]), attitude score of 1.31 ± 1.944 (mean ± SD) and pretest willingness to receive the vaccine was 6.4%. Whereas, postintervention, significant improvements were observed in knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding HPV infection and vaccination, with a mean knowledge score of 25.82 ± 8.34 and a mean attitude score of 3.84 ± 4.259. Practices also improved, with more participants expressing readiness to receive (75.9%) and advocate for vaccination. Moreover, the study demonstrated the potential barriers to vaccination as lack of awareness, nonavailability, and cost of the vaccine. CONCLUSION: Targeted educational interventions effectively improved HPV vaccination awareness and acceptance among health-care students. These findings contribute to public health efforts in HPV prevention and control.
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