title: Effect of a group educational intervention on rural Chinese women's knowledge and attitudes about human papillomavirus (HPV) and HPV vaccines.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Statistics regarding HPV prevalence and cervical cancer rates in rural China are high, however, low levels of HPV awareness and HPV-related knowledge pose a great challenge for cervical cancer control.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors conducted an educational intervention study, which was embedded in a cervical cancer screening project in Yangcheng county, Shanxi Province, China from October to December, 2011 and was designed to assess the short-term effectiveness of a hospital-based, brief, HPV-focused session on rural Chinese women's knowledge and attitudes. Student's t-test was used when comparing quantitative variables. Chi-squared test or Fisher's exact tests was used when comparing qualitative variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that following the intervention, significant increases were detected in awareness regarding HPV (5.9 % vs. 59 %, p < 0.001) and cervical cancer (63.0 % vs. 89.2 %, p < 0.001). Changes were also observed regarding women's intention to vaccinate themselves (82.0 % vs. 89.0 %, p = 0.001) and their daughters (82.9 % vs. 88.0 %, p = 0.011), although the impact was more modest compared with the impact on change of awareness. Among women who were aware of HPV, 60.3 % knew that cervical cancer is related to HPV, while only 5.0 % knew the relationship between HPV and genital warts after the educational intervention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Educational campaigns, particularly those targeting women with limited education and poor access to public media or other educational channels are needed to improve knowledge regarding HPV in the general population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China. lijingwcph@scu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: National Office for Maternal and Child Health Surveillance of China, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China. kangleni@126.com.
authors.forename: Le-Ni
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Services, Yangcheng Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Yangcheng, 048100, China. libayi81@126.com.
authors.forename: Bayi
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: The prevention and control section for STD & AIDS, Center for disease control and prevention of Jinjiang, Chengdu, 610021, China. pangyi_cc@163.com.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Pang
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Resource, The People's Hospital of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, 730060, China. ronghuang320@126.com.
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Cancer Epidemiology, Cancer Institute/Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China. qiaoy@cicams.ac.cn.
authors.forename: You-Lin
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Qiao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D052685:Alphapapillomavirus / Q000276:immunology*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines