Comparing the Knowledge about HIV and HPV Infections among the General Population of Iran

Governmental sexually transmitted disease (STD) educational programs are more focused on HIV/AIDS, and knowledge about other STDs, such as HPV, is low. To test this hypothesis and allow government authorities to modify the sexual health education policies and programs, we developed a survey to assess and compare the current level and sources of HPV and HIV information in the general population.

In this cross-sectional study, an online questionnaire containing 46 items was created and distributed using a web-based application. Respondents were asked to provide information about their knowledge of HIV/AIDs, HPV infection, and HPV vaccination.

A total of 370 (36.56%) males and 642 (63.44%) females participated in this study. Regarding overall knowledge of HPV and HIV/AIDS, the awareness scores of HIV/AIDS were significantly higher compared to HPV scores (71.39±23.66 vs 35.90 ± 23.65, P<.001). Only 2.8% of participants had not heard about HIV, while 26.5% and 75.0% had never heard about HPV and HPV vaccination, respectively. Only 11.2% of participants were aware of the protective role of vaccination against cervical cancer. The most frequent source for HIV information was national radio and television, which do not have a substantial role in HPV.

Although HPV and HIV are both infections that can be transmitted sexually, the overall knowledge of the general public about HPV is substantially lacking compared to HIV. The findings of this study highlight the real need for the implementation of health education programs on STDs, particularly regarding HPV and HPV vaccination.