Effectiveness of an Educational Intervention to Increase Human Papillomavirus Knowledge in High-Risk Minority Women : Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease

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Special Edition: Underserved Populations

Effectiveness of an Educational Intervention to Increase Human Papillomavirus Knowledge in High-Risk Minority Women

Suarez Mora, Adria MD; Madrigal, Jessica M. MS; Jordan, Lauren MPH; Patel, Ashlesha MD, MPH

Author Information

1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL; and

2Division of Family Planning, John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, IL

Correspondence to: Ashlesha Patel, MD, MPH, Cook County Health and Hospital Systems Director of Family Planning Services, Director of Ambulatory Services Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, 1900 W Polk 5th Flr, Chicago, IL 60612. E-mail: [email protected]

A.P. is a Nexplanon trainer for Merck & Co, Inc, but has no other disclosures to report. The remaining authors have declared they have no conflicts of interest.

The study was supported by Women's Health Research & Quality Collaborative of Cook County.

All analyses interpretations or conclusions are those of the authors and not of the funders.

This study was approved by the Cook County Health and Hospitals System Research Affairs office, which serves as the institutional review board.

Supplemental digital content is available for this article. Direct URL citations appear in the printed text and are provided in the HTML and PDF versions of this article on the journal’s Web site (www.jlgtd.com).

Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease 22(4):p 288-294, October 2018. | DOI: 10.1097/LGT.0000000000000386

Objectives 

The aims of the study were to evaluate human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer knowledge in a population at high risk for cervical cancer and to determine whether knowledge and attitudes toward HPV vaccination improve after educational intervention.

Materials and Methods 

This pre-post survey design study was conducted at the John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County colposcopy clinic. An HPV knowledge and awareness survey was given to participants before their clinical encounter. Afterward, participants watched an educational video and repeated the survey, which was administered again at the follow-up visit. Knowledge scores and acceptability of HPV vaccination were compared across all surveys.

Results 

Among the 104 participants who completed baseline and immediate postintervention surveys, the average baseline score was 9.6 of 20. Knowledge scores improved after the educational intervention (mean = 14.1, p < .0001) and remained elevated in the 44 participants that completed long-term follow-up (mean = 13.5, p < .0001). Acceptability of HPV vaccination for participants themselves increased from 47.1% to 76% (p < .0001) and for children/grandchildren increased from 30.8% to 71.2% (p < .0001) after the intervention. Overall, women were worried about HPV and cervical cancer for themselves and their children/grandchildren at baseline. However, the intervention improved perceptions about HPV vaccination cost, safety, adverse effects, and efficacy.

Conclusions 

Knowledge of HPV, cervical cancer, and HPV vaccination is low in this high-risk population and may improve with a simple educational intervention. Increased knowledge was associated with an increase in vaccine acceptability and improved perceptions about HPV vaccination. Educational interventions targeted toward high-risk women are necessary to decrease cervical cancer incidence and mortality.

© 2018, ASCCP

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