How to educate the public on HPV and cervical cancer prevention

Abstract

The association between HPV and cervical cancer is well established. Our previous studies showed that public knowledge about HPV and cervical cancer was generally poor. Furthermore, public awareness of the sexual transmission of HPV was associated with a stigmatized attitude towards HPV infected individuals owing largely to the lay stereotypical belief linking a person who bears a sexually transmitted infection with promiscuity or sexual deviation. Correcting this misconception is necessary as women or adolescents who consider themselves “sexually proper” may see little need to take preventive measures against HPV or cervical cancer. In our recent study, we noted that apart from giving factual information, a public HPV message consisting of explicit anti-stereotypic contents targeting specific lay sexual beliefs reduced the stigma associated with high risk HPV. Furthermore, excluding low risk HPV in the context of cervical cancer control helped to avoid the potential stigmatizing effect of genital warts from tainting perceptions about high risk HPV infection. Utilizing multiple channels in public education is necessary to reach different populations. Newspaper, magazine, television and other mass media channels enable a one-way dissemination of information on HPV and cervical cancer to a wide spectrum of audiences. Public health talks allow for tailoring of the contents to meet the particular information needs of a target group as well as chances of interaction to aid understanding. For instance, we collaborated with local secondary schools to implement an educational program on cervical cancer prevention for their female students. A substantial knowledge gain and positive attitude towards HPV vaccination were found among the adolescent participants after attending the program. In public HPV and cervical cancer education, tailoring the contents and channels of delivery are crucial to impart knowledge to a variety of audiences without drawing backfire.