title: Cervical Cancer Prevention Knowledge and Attitudes among Female University Students and Hospital Staff in Iran
abstract: Background: Cervical cancer is a major preventable cancers. The, current study aimed to assess relevant knowledge
  and attitude of female students and hospital staff in Iran. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Medical
  and Nursing faculties and hospitals of East-Azerbaijan Province of Iran. Participants were medical and paramedical
  female students and female staff in hospitals selected by stratified random sampling techniques. Tools for data collection
  were questionnaires for which validity and reliability had been verified (α=0.8). Descriptive and inferential statistics
  were used to analyze data with SPSS.16. Result: Response rates were 71 % (426 from 600) and 63.5% (254 from
  400) for students and staff, respectively. Some 29.1% admitted that they had no information about cervical cancer,
  only 70 (10.3%) thinking their knowledge as high, 360 (52.9%) as intermediate, and 237 (34.9%) as low. While 93%
  of participants considered cervical cancer as a severe health problem, the only statistically significant relationships
  with knowledge were for education (p<.001) and occupation (p<.001) variables. Conclusion: Given the importance
  of the roles of medical students and personnel as information sources and leaders in health and preventive behavior,
  increasing and improving their scientific understanding seems vital. Comprehensive and appropriate education of all
  people and especially students and personnel of medical sciences and improving attitudes towards cervical cancer and
  its monitoring are to be recommended.
authors.affiliation: Students’ Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Email: dr_ahmad_mosavi@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Zoleykha
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Asgarlou
authors.forename: Sepideh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tehrani
authors.forename: Elnaz
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Asghari
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arzanlou
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Naghavi-Behzad
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Piri
authors.forename: Sepideh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gareh Sheyklo
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moosavi
keywords: Uterine cervical neoplasms; knowledge; attitude; medical staff; Iran