MEASURING KNOWLEDGE LEVELS ON HPV AND CERVICAL CANCER USING A KNOWLEDGE-INDEX
Author(s)
Csaba Erdos, PhD1, Dávid Pócs, MD, PhD2, Edit Paulik, MD, PhD1, Regina Molnár, PhD1, Oguz Kelemen, MD, PhD2.
1Department of Public Health, University of Szeged, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, Szeged, Hungary, 2Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of Szeged, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, Szeged, Hungary.
1Department of Public Health, University of Szeged, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, Szeged, Hungary, 2Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of Szeged, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, Szeged, Hungary.
OBJECTIVES: Cervical cancer is a preventable but still important public health problem in Hungary. Prevention depends partly on how much people know about human papillomavirus (HPV), cervical cancer, screening and vaccination. This study aimed to measure lay knowledge about HPV and cervical cancer using simple knowledge indices.
METHODS: Data were collected with an anonymous online questionnaire among Hungarian adults. The final sample included 9,374 valid responses. Two indices were created: a cervical cancer knowledge index with a maximum score of 10 points and an HPV knowledge index with a maximum score of 4 points. Descriptive statistics and association tests were performed using SPSS.
RESULTS: Knowledge levels were generally low. The mean score on the cervical cancer knowledge index was 4.1 out of 10, which equals 41.0% of the maximum score. The highest achieved score was 8 points. HPV-related knowledge was even lower: the mean HPV index score was 0.88 out of 4, corresponding to 22.0% of the maximum score, and the highest achieved score was only 2 points. Overall, 2.9% of respondents reported having a high-risk oncogenic HPV infection. Lower HPV-index scores were significantly associated with lower willingness to receive HPV vaccination (p<0.001). Lower scores on both indices were also associated with delayed medical consultation in the case of symptoms suggestive of sexually transmitted disease (p<0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: The knowledge-index approach may be a useful and simple tool for measuring HPV and cervical cancer literacy. The results highlight major knowledge gaps, especially regarding HPV, and suggest that better education may support cervical cancer prevention and vaccination acceptance.
METHODS: Data were collected with an anonymous online questionnaire among Hungarian adults. The final sample included 9,374 valid responses. Two indices were created: a cervical cancer knowledge index with a maximum score of 10 points and an HPV knowledge index with a maximum score of 4 points. Descriptive statistics and association tests were performed using SPSS.
RESULTS: Knowledge levels were generally low. The mean score on the cervical cancer knowledge index was 4.1 out of 10, which equals 41.0% of the maximum score. The highest achieved score was 8 points. HPV-related knowledge was even lower: the mean HPV index score was 0.88 out of 4, corresponding to 22.0% of the maximum score, and the highest achieved score was only 2 points. Overall, 2.9% of respondents reported having a high-risk oncogenic HPV infection. Lower HPV-index scores were significantly associated with lower willingness to receive HPV vaccination (p<0.001). Lower scores on both indices were also associated with delayed medical consultation in the case of symptoms suggestive of sexually transmitted disease (p<0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: The knowledge-index approach may be a useful and simple tool for measuring HPV and cervical cancer literacy. The results highlight major knowledge gaps, especially regarding HPV, and suggest that better education may support cervical cancer prevention and vaccination acceptance.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-11, ISPOR Europe 2026, Vienna, Austria
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue 12S
Code
EPH89
Topic
Epidemiology & Public Health
Disease
Reproductive & Sexual Health