Assessment of health literacy and HPV knowledge among university students: An observational study
Yükleniyor...
Tarih
2024
Dergi Başlığı
Dergi ISSN
Cilt Başlığı
Yayıncı
Medicine
Erişim Hakkı
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Özet
Health literacy (HL) level is related to promotion of health, improved health behaviors, and early diagnosis of diseases, as well as the appropriate use of health services. Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is the primary method of protection against cervical cancer and recommended for women aged 9 to 27. This study aims to assess the university students' knowledge about HPV and the association between HL and HPV vaccination. In this cross-sectional and descriptive study, an electronic survey was used. Demographic characteristics and anthropometric measurements of the participants were questioned. HPV Knowledge Scale (HPV-KS) and Turkish Health Literacy Scale (THLS-32) were used to evaluate HPV knowledge and HL. Statistical analyzes were performed with SPSS version 26. A total of 361 university students (74% women), aged 21.98 ± 4.72 years, were included in the study. About 52% of the participants were health sciences students. The total THLS-32 score was 34.68 ± 9.37 (95% CI = 33.71-35.65), and the total adequate/excellent HL level was 51%. The mean HPV-KS score of the participants was 10.28 ± 8.15 (95% CI = 9.44-11.12) of a possible 35. Health sciences students had higher rates of HPV awareness (78% vs 65%; P = .007). General HPV knowledge level was significantly better among women (P < .001), >20 years (P = .002), and those with a family history of cancer (P < .001) and significantly lower among students at prep or first year of school (P < .001). There was a weak, positive relation between THLS-32 and HPV-KS score (R = 0.136; P = .01). Participants with higher levels of HPV knowledge (P = .034) and total HPV-KS score (P = .025) were statistically significantly higher in students with adequate/excellent HL. Our results reveal that knowledge about HPV vaccination is closely related to HL levels. Educational interventions on HL may be considered to increase HPV vaccination rates.
Açıklama
Anahtar Kelimeler
Sağlık okuryazarlığı, Health literacy, Suman papilloma virüsü, Suman papillomavirus, Öğrenci, Student, Üniversite, University, Aşı, Vaccine
Kaynak
Public Health
WoS Q Değeri
Scopus Q Değeri
Q3
Cilt
103
Sayı
35
Künye
Şenocak Taşçi, E., Baş, D., Kayak, S., Anik, S., Erözcan, A., & Sönmez, Ö. (2024). Assessment of health literacy and HPV knowledge among university students: An observational study. Medicine, 103 (35), e39495. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000039495
