Abstract
Objective: After HPV infection was shown to be the most important factor in the development of cervical cancer, studies on HPV vaccination have been accelerated. The aim of this study was to find out the knowledge of the women who have children on cervical cancer and HPV vaccination, and their opinions and attitudes on vaccination against cervical cancer.
Material and Methods: The research group consisted of 1405 women with children younger than 15 years of age and who attended health centers in Kırıkkale, Ankara and Gaziantep, within the year 2007. Women who accepted to enroll in the study filled the filled in the face to face adminished questionaires about demographic characteristics and knowledge regarding cervical cancer and their HPV vaccination. results: The mean age of the 1405 women was 31.2±7 years. Of the mothers, 17% was visiting a gynecologist for periodic controls (Ankara 20%, Kırıkkale 19%, Gaziantep 13%, p<0.011), 12% had a verruca (Ankara 12%, Kırıkkale 17%, Gaziantep 8%, p<0.001) and 2% mentioned that their daughter had a verruca. Among all, 17.6% knew the cause of cervical cancer, and 74.1% mentioned that it was possible to protect oneself against cervical cancer. Only 25.5% of the mothers would have HPV vaccination if it were free of charge.conclusion: Mothers’ knowledge on cervical cancer is inadequate. However, most of them are aware of HPV vaccination as a method of protection, and have positive attitudes towards low-cost or free HPV vaccination
Keywords: Adolescent, Mother, Vaccination, Knowledge, HPV, Cervical cancer, Attitudes
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