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REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH Cervical cancer/HPV health care provider study Preliminary results indicate that a high majority of respondents (90 percent) identified HPV as the principal cause of cervical cancer, and 96 percent felt that women from the general public in Mexico should be informed that HPV is the principal cause of cervical cancer. When asked about the risks and benefits of informing the general public about the link between HPV and cervical cancer, most respondents “totally agreed” that the information would encourage women to be screened for HPV and STIs (73 percent) and that the information would encourage women and men to practice safer sex (65 percent). However, some also “totally agreed” that the information could create problems in partner relationships, such as suspicion and anger (35 percent). Sixteen questions pertaining to cervical cancer were included as a subset of a national questionnaire used at the National Cancer Institute and in Mexico City to better understand Mexican providers’ knowledge, attitudes, and opinions about HPV and cervical cancer. Some 1,206 providers completed the self-administered survey. Preliminary results show that 80 percent of providers identified HPV as the principal cause of cervical cancer. When asked whether they counsel women about the relationship between HPV and cervical cancer during routine Pap tests, 59 percent stated that they always do, 22 percent said that they sometimes do, and 4 percent said that they never do. In addition, 98 percent felt that women in the general public in Mexico should be informed that HPV is the principal cause of cervical cancer. When asked about possible risks associated with informing the general public about this relationship, 25 percent of providers “totally agreed” and 25 percent “totally disagreed” that the information could create problems in partner relationships. Focus group study of HPV and cervical cancer |
