| Abstract [eng] |
Reasoning: Over the past few decades, significant advancements have been made in accumulating knowledge and preventive measures to combat cervical cancer. However, morbidity and mortality rates associated with cervical cancer continue to pose a significant global challenge. Enhancing women's understanding of cervical cancer and its primary risk factor, the human papillomavirus, is crucial for improving survival rates. Increased awareness among women regarding cervical cancer and HPV is leading to higher participation in preventive screening programs, facilitating early diagnosis and treatment. Work objective: To evaluate women's knowledge about cervical cancer and the association with human papillomavirus across various socio-economic groups of women in the city of Vilnius. Tasks: 1) To compare the knowledge of women of different ages regarding cervical cancer and HPV. 2) To compare the knowledge of women with different levels of education regarding cervical cancer and HPV. 3) To compare the knowledge of women from different economic groups regarding cervical cancer and HPV. Methods: 313 women from the city of Vilnius were interviewed using social networks and email. A questionnaire developed by Canadian researchers was used to conduct this study. Statistical data analysis was conducted using software package SPSS. To compare the knowledge averages of cervical cancer and HPV among three to four different socio-economic groups of women, one-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied, and the Student t-test of independent samples was used to compare the averages of two groups. Results: 59% of respondents provided correct answers to the cervical cancer questionnaire section, while 52% answered correctly on the HPV questionnaire section. The study data revealed a statistically significant difference in HPV knowledge among different age groups of women (p < 0.001), with the 32-42 age group demonstrating the highest knowledge levels and the 54-65 age group showing the lowest knowledge levels. There was no statistically significant difference in knowledge between different educational groups when comparing cervical cancer and HPV knowledge (p > 0.05). A statistically significant difference was observed in knowledge about cervical cancer and HPV between lower-income respondents (up to 499 euros) and higher-income groups (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The study revealed that older women had the lowest knowledge about HPV and women with lower incomes had the lowest knowledge about cervical cancer and HPV. A little less than half of the women in the city of Vilnius who took part in the study still lack knowledge about cervical cancer and HPV. |
