Knowledge, practice, and attitude on human papillomavirus and cervical cancer among medical students in Armenia: Cross-sectional study.

Abstract

e22502 Background: Cervical Cancer (CC) is a huge burden worldwide, especially in developing countries. CC incidence rates tend to escalate in Armenia increasing by 38% during the previous 27 years even after implementation of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program. The current study aims to evaluate the knowledge, practice, and attitudes (KAP) of later-year medical students on HPV prevention and increased risks of CC development. Methods: Our study utilized a cross-sectional design. Students from 3rd-6th year at Yerevan State Medical University were approached through convenient sampling. The study instrument included 4 sections: demographic data, KAP towards HPV and CC and was adopted from previously performed studies. E-survey was created through “Google Forms” and distributed through the Student Scientific Society social media platform. The data collection period spans from April 15th to 29th, 2024. The data was entered and analyzed through SPSS. Results: In total, 231 subjects participated in the survey. M:F ratio was 1:3.7, median age: 22 years (20-32), majority of participants (82.3%) were from the capital city. The respondents were in the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th year of study at 31.6%, 24.2%, 36.4%, and 7.8% of cases respectively. Predominantly, the students had proficient (70.1%) academic performance. Only 18.6% reported active sexual life. On average, the knowledge score was 29.9% (11-40) with Standard Deviation (SD) 5.4. Low, average and high level of knowledge was identified in 37.7%. 30.7%, 31.6% respectively. On average, the attitude score was 4.9 (1-8) with SD 1.5. Most participants expressed a negative attitude towards HPV prophylaxis and testing (64.9%). The mean practice score was 3.6 (0-5) with SD 1.28. Majority of participants (60.2%) showed favorable vaccination practice. Student year of study was significantly associated with KAP scores (p-.000; .000; .025) . Overall, there was a moderate positive correlation (r-.503, p-.000) between attitude and knowledge. Conclusions: Participants showed favorable practice towards HPV prophylaxis and testing. However, interventions are required to improve knowledge and attitude among the population.