The knowledge, attitude and behaviours of women above 18 years old about genital warts, cervical cancer and human papilloma virus vaccination

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of women on genital warts, cervical cancer and human papilloma virus (HPV). Methods: Women aged 18 years old and over, admitting dermatology outpatient clinics of Konya Training and Research Hospital for any reason, were included in this cross sectional descriptive study. A 19-question survey was administered to 543 women to evaluate their knowledge and attitudes on genital warts, cervical cancer, smear test, protection methods, HPV vaccination and education. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS 21.0. Results: Only 16.6% (n=90) of the participants had information about genital HPV, among them only 38.9% (n=35) had information about the treatment of genital warts. While 61.1% of women having knowledge about genital HPV (n=55) knew about cervical cancer, 56.7% (n=51) knew genital warts might cause cervical cancer. 25.8% (n=140) knew of vaginal smear test while 16.9% (n=92) had a smear test before. Only 26.7% of women with genital HPV knowledge (n=24) knew prevention methods of genital warts. 40.0% of them (n=36) believed that condoms can protect them from genital HPV. 68% (n=369) had never heard of HPV vaccination. Conclusion: The study results showed that information level of the focus group is quite low about genital warts, cervical cancer, protection methods, screening methods, and HPV vaccination.