Asian Nurs Res.  2016 Mar;10(1):45-50. 10.1016/j.anr.2016.01.001.

Perceived Risk of Human Papillomavirus Infection and Cervical Cancer among Adolescent Women in Taiwan

• Lin YJ
• Fan LW
• Tu YC

• KMID: 2374291
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.anr.2016.01.001

Abstract

PURPOSE
High-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV) are a critical etiologic factor behind cervical cancer. Adolescents are a vulnerable group for HPV infection. However, the literature on adolescent women for HPV infection and cervical cancer is limited. This study was to investigate HPV-related knowledge and perceived risk of HPV infection and cervical cancer among Taiwanese adolescent women in order to assess intervention strategies for prevention of cervical cancer and maintenance of reproductive health.
METHODS
A descriptive cross-sectional study design was implemented. There were 610 adolescent women from three colleges in Southern Taiwan who participated in this study. Data were collected using an anonymous self-administered questionnaire survey.
RESULTS
The results showed that the percentage of appropriate answers to HPV-related knowledge questions was only 36.8%, and smoking as the leading cause of cervical cancer received the lowest mean score for appropriate answers among the HPV-related knowledge items. The perceived risk of HPV infection and cervical cancer were moderate, with relatively lower susceptibility to infection with HPV than to cervical cancer (P < .001). Only 11.5% of the participants reported that they had received information about HPV vaccination from healthcare professionals.
CONCLUSIONS
Participants lacked a comprehensive understanding of cervical cancer prevention and were not aware of their susceptibility to HPV infection. Adolescent women rarely obtained HPV-related information from healthcare professionals. Appropriate education strategies should be developed and conducted by healthcare professionals to reduce the risk of cervical cancer threat from adolescence.

Keyword

adolescent; human papillomavirus; reproductive health; sexually transmitted diseases; uterine cervical neoplasms

MeSH Terms

Adolescent
Adolescent Behavior/*psychology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Papillomavirus Infections/*epidemiology/*psychology
Risk Factors
Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral/*psychology
Students/*psychology
Surveys and Questionnaires
Taiwan
Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/*epidemiology/*psychology