Can the infection status improve knowledge about HPV in Spain? The HPV-know study

Knowledge about HPV, and whether it differs depending on virus infection status, remains unclear among women in Spain. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the level of knowledge, and related outcomes, on HPV in adult women in Spain.

A cross-sectional, non-interventional multicenter study was carried out in year 2022. Participants, consecutively recruited from 18 centers across the country, completed a validated questionnaire; the HPV-Know-Q, which examines the knowledge on HPV.

A total of 1387 women were enrolled, including 1016 HPV-infected and 371 uninfected. The mean knowledge score was 78.6 points (standard deviation [SD] = 23.2). After adjusting by covariates, HPV-infected women mean score (95% confidence interval [CI]) on the HPV knowledge questionnaire was significantly higher compared to those without the infection; 84.8 (83.9-85.6) versus 80.5 (78.6-82.3), P < 0.001, although the effect size was small: Cohen's d of 0.37 (0.22-0.52). Significant differences between the two groups were found across all areas related to HPV infection. Vaccination rates were higher among the infected women; 58.7% versus 27.0%, P < 0.001.

Knowledge about HPV among women in Spain was high, with HPV-infected women showing significantly greater knowledge compared to non-infected, although effect size was small. Higher educational background and premenopause status were explanatory variables, with limited power, but significantly associated with higher HPV knowledge, while being immunosuppressed would reduce it.