EZGİ AGADAYI

and 6 more

Background: The objective of this study was to measure the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors about Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and HPV vaccine and to detect the HPV vaccination status of medical school students. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on students in a medical school. A sociodemographic data form and HPV Knowledge Scale were used in the study. Statistical analysis was done with the SPSS program for Windows Version 25 using chi-square, independent samples t-test, one-way test ANOVA and Pearson correlation. Frequencies and measures of a central distribution represented data. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistical significance, with a 95% CI. Results: Of the 518 students who participated in the study, 57.9% were women, and 61.6% were preclinical students. Rates of smoking (p=0.018) and alcohol consumption (p=0.001) and sexual activity status (p<0.001) were significantly higher in male than in female students. Only 2.3% of participants reported having received the HPV vaccination. Age (p<0.001), gender (p=0.017), and nationality (p=0.045) were found to have a significant effect on student receipt of HPV vaccine. HPV knowledge level was higher among those who were female (p=0.004), studied in a clinical class (p<0.001), were sexually active (p<0.001), could easily talk about sexuality in the family (p=0.027), and had obtained their knowledge from school (p<0.001) and medical personnel (p<0.001). Conclusion: The HPV knowledge level of medical students was moderate compared to the literature. While the vaccination rate was consistent with the Turkish data, it was significantly lower than the international literature. Increasing the knowledge level of medical students is crucial as they can influence other peers through peer education. Therefore, efforts should be made to improve the knowledge level and vaccination rate in medical schools, both in the curriculum and in extracurricular activities.