What do the Poles know about human papillomavirus (HPV)?

Human papillomavirus (HPV) shows tropism to human cells of the basal layer of the skin epithelium and mucous membranes. The virus plays an important role in the development of cervical cancer and other malignant and proliferative skin lesions [1]. Among sexually transmitted diseases, HPV infection is an important epidemiological problem. In addition to sexual intercourse, the virus may also be transmitted vertically [2]. Protection against some types of the virus, including HPV-16 and HPV-18, is provided by vaccines of various efficacy, administered to women before their sexual initiation. The education of the patients about the need for prevention and regular screening for potential infection is the responsibility of physicians and other medical personnel [3, 4].
The aim of the study was to analyse the knowledge of Poles aged 18–40 years concerning the routes of infection, its consequences, and ways of preventing HPV infection. The survey was conducted anonymously between November 2017 and May 2018 on a representative group of random adults living in Poland. The survey was completed by 364 people living in regions of various urbanisation. The criteria for inclusion in the survey were: age between 18 and 40 years, minimum secondary education, and residence in Poland. The questionnaire consisted of the questions on the patients’ background and demographic parameters and closed multiple- or single-choice questions on the analysed subject. Statistical analysis was carried out with the use of Statistica 13 (StatSoft Poland). The probability of occurrence of differences was statistically significant with the value of p < 0.05.
Of the 364 respondents to the survey, 291 (80.0%) were women. Respondents aged 18–25 years were the dominant age subgroup (185 people; 50.8%), and 204 (56.0%) persons declared no connection with the health care industry. Almost 80% (285; 78.3%) of people chose the right answer for what the abbreviation HPV stands for. The most common ways of preventing HPV infection were condoms (268; 73.6%) and vaccinations (251; 69.0%). When asked about the consequences of HPV infection, the most common answers were cervical cancer (309; 84.9%) and condyloma (179; 49.2%). Concerning the high-oncogenic types of the virus, 222 (61.0%) respondents declared a complete lack of knowledge in this area. While 107 (29.4%) people chose the response containing types 16 and 18 of HPV, 35 (9.6%) indicated the low-oncogenic virus types. Among the risk...


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