title: Acceptability and correlates of primary and secondary prevention of cervical cancer among medical students in southwest China: implications for cancer education.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To understand knowledge about, and acceptability of, cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccines among medical students; and to explore potential factors that influence their acceptability in China.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a survey among medical students at six universities across southwest China using a 58-item questionnaire regarding knowledge and perceptions of HPV, cervical cancer, and HPV vaccines.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We surveyed 1878 medical students with a mean age of 20.8 years (standard deviation: 1.3 years). Of these, 48.8% and 80.1% believed cervical cancer can be prevented by HPV vaccines and screening respectively, while 60.2% and 71.2% would like to receive or recommend HPV vaccines and screening. 35.4% thought HPV vaccines ought to be given to adolescents aged 13-18 years. 32% stated that women should start to undergo screening from the age of 25. 49.2% felt that women should receive screening every year. Concern about side effects (38.3% and 39.8%), and inadequate information (42.4% and 35.0%) were the most cited barriers to receiving or recommending HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening. Females were more likely to accept HPV vaccines (OR, 1.86; 95% CI: 1.47-2.35) or cervical cancer screening (OR, 3.69; 95% CI: 2.88-4.74). Students with a higher level of related knowledge were much more willing to receive or recommend vaccines (P<0.001) or screening (P<0.001). Students who showed negative or uncertain attitudes towards premarital sex were less likely to accept either HPV vaccines (OR, 0.67; 95% CI: 0.47-0.96), or screening (OR, 0.68; 0.47-0.10). Non-clinical students showed lower acceptability of cervical screening compared to students in clinical medicine (OR, 0.74; 95% CI: 0.56-0.96).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The acceptability of HPV vaccines and cervical cancer screening is relatively low among medical students in southwest China. Measures should be taken to improve knowledge about cervical cancer and awareness of HPV vaccines and screening among medical students at university.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Xiong-Fei
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Mei
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Development and Regeneration Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Healthcare and Hospital Infection Control, Deyang People's Hospital, Deyang, China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, the Affiliated Hospital of Luzhou Medical College, Luzhou, China.
authors.forename: Qing-Lian
authors.initials: QL
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Tissue Engineering and Stem Cells, The Second Clinical Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China.
authors.forename: Kang
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, North Sichuan Medical University, Nanchong, China.
authors.forename: Gui-Qin
authors.initials: GQ
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.
authors.forename: Jing-Jing
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Statistics and Information Management, School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Chun-Jing
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Chun-Xia
authors.initials: CX
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D052685:Alphapapillomavirus / Q000276:immunology; D002681:China; D004501:Education, Medical; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines / Q000276:immunology; D010465:Perception; D011322:Primary Prevention; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines