Knowledge, attitudes, and informational behaviors of college students in regard to the human papillomavirus.
OBJECTIVE
To assess students' human papillomavirus (HPV) knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. PARTICIPANTS/ METHODS: Students (N = 1,282) at a large, public university in the Northeast United States completed a questionnaire during February 2008 assessing HPV knowledge, prevalence, transmission, cervical cancer risk and stigma; sexual behavior, vaccination status, as well as past and preferred sources of information about HPV and sexual health.


RESULTS
A majority of respondents know of HPV. However, understanding was insufficient in several important areas. Overwhelmingly, respondents heard about HPV via television commercials yet preferred to obtain sexual health information from physicians. Hearing about HPV on a TV commercial was associated with increased knowledge. More knowledge of HPV was associated with less stigma. Men exhibit a higher level of stigma and less knowledge than women.


CONCLUSIONS
Publicly funded health campaigns aimed at increasing knowledge about HPV are overdue and necessary. This is especially true for efforts targeting young adults about this extremely common sexually transmitted infection (STI).
Sandfort
Jessica R
JR
Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, USA.
Pleasant
Andrew
A
D000367:Age Factors; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage; D040442:Public Health Informatics; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012737:Sex Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D014495:Universities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines