Assessing HPV awareness and Knowledge in Future Health Professionals: A Survey of Health Science Students in Iran

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is among the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs), with almost all sexually active individuals likely to encounter it during their lifetime. It is essential for health science students to have a comprehensive understanding of HPV, as their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors can greatly impact patient education and decisions about vaccination or their current infection. This study aims to assess the level of awareness and knowledge about HPV among health science students and recognize the factors that influence these levels. We distributed paper questionnaires to 268 students (18-42 years) across different fields of study. Validity and reliability were assessed with 40 participants. After removing unreliable questions, a 36-item questionnaire was finalized. Awareness scores were calculated from responses, and statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS-27. This study examined 268 students aged 18 to 42 years, with an average age of 24.4 years (± 4.02). The median age was 24 years. Among the participants, 70.5% were female (189 subjects) and 29.5% were male (79 subjects). Students with PhD degrees in biological sciences had the highest awareness scores, averaging 16 (± 10.34). MSc students in biological sciences followed with awareness scores averaging 15.9 (± 5.83). BSc students in biological sciences had the lowest awareness scores, averaging 11.9 (± 6.43). Statistical analysis indicated that basic characteristics like sex, marital status, or having a partner did not significantly impact awareness levels among the subjects. However, the level of education was identified as a significant factor affecting awareness (p-value = 0.043). The majority of the study participants demonstrated a moderate level of knowledge about HPV. In this study awareness levels vary significantly across educational levels. However, the demographic factors such as gender, marital status, and relationship status did not notably influence the participants' levels of awareness. These findings underscore the need for targeted educational interventions to address this knowledge gap and improve HPV awareness, especially among BSc students in biological sciences.