Peer Education on HPV: Impact on Health Sciences Students' Knowledge, Awareness, and Concern

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 400 million treatable sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as syphilis, chlamydia and human papillomavirus (HPV) occur each year in people aged 15-49, mostly in developing countries. As HPV is a sexually transmitted virus, it has been shown to be the most important aetiological factor in cervical cancer in women (99.7%). Vaccination and education of young people about sexuality and STDs are very important in the prevention of HPV. In this respect, the aim of this study was to find out the level of knowledge, concern and awareness of HPV infection among university students and to increase their awareness by informing them about the subject through their peers. The study was conducted as a pre-test and post-test one-group study. The sample of the study consisted of all final year students of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation (85 students), Nutrition and Dietetics (60 students), Audiology (35 students), Child Development (80 students), Health Management (44 students) and Social Work (45 students) studying in the spring semester of the 2023-2024 academic year. The students were trained by the Gynaecology Nursing Intern student group (9 students) of the Department of Nursing. Data were collected using the Sociodemographic Characteristics Form, the HPV Knowledge Scale and the Human Papilloma Virus Awareness and Concern Level Scale (HPV-FAS). The relevant forms and the consent form were completed by the students before, after and one month after the training.