Knowledge and awareness of cervical cancer prevention and HPV vaccination among medical and nursing students in a tertiary care hospital
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20232734Keywords:
Cervical cancer, HPV vaccine, Knowledge, Medical and nursing studentsAbstract
Background: This study was done to assess the level of knowledge and awareness about cervical cancer and its prevention among medical and nursing students.
Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted during 2022 in a tertiary care hospital in Chennai. The study included 407 subjects; 224 medical students, and 183 nursing students and consent was obtained from each participant prior to the study. A questionnaire survey was used to assess their knowledge on cervical cancer and its prevention.
Results: Out of the 407 participants, 95.5% of the medical students and 30.6% of the nursing students knew that HPV virus causes cervical cancer. Medical students had more knowledge on risk factors. 84.38% of medical students and 43.72% of nursing students were aware that vaccine is available for the prevention of cervical cancer. Overall nursing students had limited knowledge on cervical cancer and its prevention. 51.79% of the medical students and 27.87% of the nursing students acquired their knowledge about HPV vaccine through social media. The uptake of HPV vaccine was very low among both medical and nursing students.
Conclusions: The results of our study demonstrate that there is a need for creating more awareness about cervical cancer and its prevention among medical and nursing students.
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