Andrea Varga-Tóth1, Edit Paulik. 1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.
Abstract
AIM: The aim of this study was to assess whether the socioeconomic characteristics of adolescent girls, their knowledge about cervical cancer screening, and their sexual activity are associated with whether or not they have already visited a gynecologist. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire-based study was performed among secondary school girls (n = 589) who participated in professional education provided by a pediatric and adolescent gynecologist. The questionnaire comprised sociodemographic characteristics, sexual activity, knowledge on contraceptive methods, cervical screening and sources of their knowledge. Simple descriptive statistics, χ(2) and one-way-anova tests, multivariate logistic regression analysis and Pearson correlation were applied. All statistical analyses were carried out using spss 17.0 for Windows. RESULTS: A total of 50.3% of adolescent girls had already had a sexual contact. Half of the sexually active participants had already visited a gynecologist, and most of them did so due to some kind of complaint. The overall knowledge about cervical screening was quite low; higher knowledge was found among those having visited a gynecologist. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent girls' knowledge on cervical screening was improved by previous visits to a gynecologist. The participation of an expert--a gynecologist--in a comprehensive sexual education program of teenage girls is of high importance in Hungary.
AIM: The aim of this study was to assess whether the socioeconomic characteristics of adolescent girls, their knowledge about cervical cancer screening, and their sexual activity are associated with whether or not they have already visited a gynecologist. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire-based study was performed among secondary school girls (n = 589) who participated in professional education provided by a pediatric and adolescent gynecologist. The questionnaire comprised sociodemographic characteristics, sexual activity, knowledge on contraceptive methods, cervical screening and sources of their knowledge. Simple descriptive statistics, χ(2) and one-way-anova tests, multivariate logistic regression analysis and Pearson correlation were applied. All statistical analyses were carried out using spss 17.0 for Windows. RESULTS: A total of 50.3% of adolescent girls had already had a sexual contact. Half of the sexually active participants had already visited a gynecologist, and most of them did so due to some kind of complaint. The overall knowledge about cervical screening was quite low; higher knowledge was found among those having visited a gynecologist. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent girls' knowledge on cervical screening was improved by previous visits to a gynecologist. The participation of an expert--a gynecologist--in a comprehensive sexual education program of teenage girls is of high importance in Hungary.
Authors: Ewelina Chawłowska; Monika Karasiewicz; Agnieszka Lipiak; Rafał Staszewski; Mateusz Cofta; Maria Biskupska; Bogusz Giernaś; Agnieszka Zawiejska Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-09-18 Impact factor: 4.614