NIVEL DE CONOCIMIENTO SOBRE LA VACUNACIÓN CONTRA EL VIRUS DEL PAPILOMA HUMANO EN PACIENTES ATENDIDOS EN EL CENTRO DE SALUD FRANCISCO JÁCOME.

Abstract

Vaccination against the Human Papillomavirus offers several advantages, despite this, in Ecuador vaccination coverage is less than ideal due to the lack of knowledge about its advantages, and the risks of the Human Papillomavirus. Previous studies carried out in Quito confirmed that knowledge about vaccination against the Human Papillomavirus is medium or low; however, there was no knowledge of the situation in Guayaquil. For this reason, the present observational survey study was designed with the aim of evaluating the level of knowledge about vaccination against the Human Papillomavirus in a sample of 265 patients who were treated at the Francisco Jacome Health Center between June and July 2024. It was found that the majority (51.70%) of the sample obtained medium levels of knowledge. Age 18-35 years was significantly related to lower levels of knowledge (p=0.024), while student occupation was significantly related to higher levels of knowledge (p=0.001). These results support the importance of educational programs on human papillomavirus vaccination, so as to increase vaccination coverage and therefore decrease infections and their potential carcinogenic risk. By implementing a preventive rather than curative approach, state and family resources could be optimized.