Knowledge about human papillomavirus among first-year medical students at a Paraguayan university: A cross-sectional study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21764719Keywords:
human papillomavirus, knowledge, medical students, vaccination, early detection, cancer preventionAbstract
Introduction. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted infection linked to cervical cancer. Objective. To describe the knowledge reported by first-year medical students about transmission, prevention, detection, treatment and consequences of HPV. Materials and methods. Descriptive, cross-sectional, quantitative study conducted in October 2023 at a Paraguayan university. A total of 225 questionnaires from first-year medical students were analyzed. The instrument, validated by experts, included sociodemographic variables and questions about HPV. Absolute and relative frequencies were calculated. Results. The 17–20-year age group accounted for 81% and women for 75%. Overall, 97% had heard of HPV and 93% identified it as a virus. Transmission was recognized by 89%, although only 70% indicated sexual contact. Some preventive measure was identified by 89%; vaccination was mentioned by 28% and barrier methods by 26%. Some detection method was known by 38% and the HPV test was mentioned by 4%. Treatment was reported as known by 15% and some consequence was identified by 69%; cervical cancer was mentioned by 20%. Conclusions. General familiarity was high, but coexisted with gaps in prevention, detection, treatment and clinical consequences. Sexual health literacy should be strengthened during medical training.
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