Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors of Women who have or have not had human papillomavirus vaccine in Turkey about the Virus and the vaccine

Abstract

The awareness of Human Papillomavirus (HPV), the most common sexually transmitted disease in the world, and the frequency of vaccination vary across countries. In Turkey, the rate of HPV vaccination is quite low even amongin women, and there is not much data on the frequency of vaccination among men. This study aimedto investigate the difference in knowledge and attitude between Turkish women who had HPV vaccination and those who did not. Women between 18 and 65 living in a province in the central region of Turkey were included. Participants (n = 856) were selected by snowball sampling and with an online questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed by the SPSS programme. Descriptive statistical analysis, chi-square test, T-test for independent samples and one-way ANOVA was used. 67.3% of the participants had heard of HPV and 55.4% had heard of the HPV vaccine. The HPV vaccination rate was 3.6%. The most important source of information for those who reported getting vaccinated on HPV was their family physician. Additionally, the HPV Knowledge Scale total scores of those who received information from family physicians and gynecologists were higher than the others. The most frequent reasons they cited for not getting vaccinated were a lack of information and not having the vaccine covered by social security. It is important to include it in the national vaccination scheme in order to increase the HPV vaccination rate in low-income countries such as Turkey. Also, these findings show the prominence of family physicians in public education.