The role of preventive vaccinations in the prevention of cervical cancer according to female nursing and education students

Introduction. Cervical cancer is a significant problem in the area of public health. The major difficulty in the diagnosis of this type of cancer is the fact that it does not show any symptoms in its early stages. Aim. The aim of the study was the assessment of knowledge exhibited by nursing and education students regarding vaccinations designed to prevent cervical cancer. Materials and method. The study was conducted in the period 2023 with the use of a self-developed survey. A total of 107 female students participated in the study. The research tool employed was an anonymous self-developed questionnaire. All of the analyses, such as the Chi-square test at an accepted significance level of α = 0.05. Results. Among the group of female university students surveyed, 71.96% had only heard of preventive vaccinations, while as much as 18.69% had no knowledge of vaccinations, and only 9.35% of female students rated their knowledge of vaccinations as appropriate. In the surveyed group, 80% of the group of students majoring in education and 20% of the group of students majoring in nursing had never heard of HPV vaccinations before. Of the nursing students,75% indicated support for the concept of HPV vaccinations being given only to volunteers, compared to 25% of the education students. Conclusions. The level of knowledge regarding cervical cancer is significantly higher among nursing students than among those getting a degree in education. The field of study has an impact on students’ knowledge about the existence of the HPV vaccine. The students surveyed indicated that HPV infection, having multiple sexual partners, and age are the main factors contributing to cervical cancer.