Costantino, C., Amodio, E., Vitale, F., Maida, C. M., Bono, S. E., Caracci, F., ... & Ventura, G. (2020). Knowledge and attitudes regarding human papillomavirus infection and vaccination among preadolescents in Palermo, Italy. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(3), 1075. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17031075 [Childhood Vaccination NPM]
Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): Multicomponent School-Based Program
Intervention Description: The intervention described in the provided PDF was an educational intervention on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), HPV infection, and preventive strategies. The intervention involved a set of slides relating to STD prevention with a particular focus on HPV infection, related diseases, and vaccination, which were presented in plenary sessions to all students for which the consent form signed by parents was obtained. The intervention was conducted by medical doctors and researchers of the Department of Health Promotion, Maternal and Infant Care, Internal Medicine, and Excellence Specialties of the University of Palermo. The intervention was followed by an on-site HPV vaccination offer in five schools in a dedicated and fully equipped caravan of the Local Health Agency (LHA), parked in the courtyards inside the schools ,[object Object],,[object Object],.
Intervention Results: The study described in the provided PDF found that the educational intervention on STDs, HPV infection, and preventive strategies was strongly associated with HPV vaccination knowledge and uptake among preadolescents aged 11-14 years in the province of Palermo, Italy. The study found that the intervention led to a statistically significant 6% increase in the willingness to receive HPV vaccination among the study participants. The study also found that students attending schools in more deprived areas or students with poor socio-economic conditions were least informed about STDs or the opportunity to protect themselves with vaccination. However, the study demonstrated the high efficacy of school-based formative intervention and a vaccination offer, as 188 preadolescent students of five schools (69.1% of the susceptible sample) not already immunized against HPV were vaccinated during the study duration. The study concluded that the large-scale organization of school-based educational interventions on STDs, HPV-related diseases, and preventive strategies should probably be standardized and extended to improve awareness and willingness of students on the importance of HPV vaccination ,[object Object],,[object Object],.
Conclusion: HPV vaccination represents a clear example of under-use of a practice with a very high scientific value [7]. In Italy, vaccination coverage rates among preadolescents remain considerably low [8]. Of note, the future role of parents and of school educational intervention could represent a solution to improve vaccination attitudes and knowledge of preadolescents, that represents the primary target of HPV vaccination [34]. The large-scale organization of school-based educational interventions on STDs, HPV-related diseases and preventive strategies should probably be standardized and extended in order to improve awareness and willingness of students on the importance of HPV vaccination.
Study Design: The study described in the provided PDF had a pre-post interventional design. The study was conducted in two consecutive school years (2017/2018 and 2018/2019) in 18 first-grade secondary schools located in Palermo, Italy. The schools were sampled through cluster sampling based on urban location and were divided into three levels, according to the deprivation index of the neighborhood or municipality in which they arose. The study involved administering two questionnaires, before and after carrying out an educational intervention on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), HPV infection, and preventive strategies. The study also included an on-site HPV vaccination offered after the intervention in five schools in a dedicated and fully equipped caravan of the Local Health Agency (LHA), parked in the courtyards inside the schools ,[object Object],,[object Object],.
Setting: The setting described in the provided PDF is a multicenter project conducted in four Italian regions (Liguria, Veneto, Apulia, Sicily) with the main objective of evaluating the offer of vaccination, coverage rates, and determinants associated with HPV vaccination uptake or refusal in different age classes and target groups ,[object Object],. Specifically, the study was conducted in Sicily, a southern Italian region with about five million inhabitants, divided into nine Local Health Agencies (LHAs) corresponding to nine provinces, including Palermo ,[object Object],. Additionally, the intervention took place in five schools in Palermo, where a dedicated and fully equipped caravan of the Local Health Agency (LHA) was parked in the courtyards inside the schools ,[object Object],.
Population of Focus: The target audience for the study described in the provided PDF is preadolescents attending first-grade secondary schools in the province of Palermo, Italy. A total of 1702 students were enrolled in the study, with a response rate of 68.9% ,[object Object],. The study aimed to assess knowledge and attitudes regarding HPV infection and vaccination among this specific group of preadolescents ,[object Object],. Additionally, the study focused on evaluating the offer of vaccination, coverage rates, and determinants associated with HPV vaccination uptake or refusal in different age classes and target groups, including preadolescents aged 11–14 years in the province of Palermo ,[object Object],.
Sample Size: The sample size for the study described in the provided PDF was 1702 students attending first-grade secondary schools in the province of Palermo, Italy ,[object Object],. This sample size was considered representative of the population of preadolescents aged 11–14 years in the province of Palermo, which was reported to be 51,888 ,[object Object],.
Age Range: The study in the provided PDF focused on preadolescents aged 11–14 years in the province of Palermo, Italy ,[object Object],. Therefore, the age range of the target audience for this study was 11 to 14 years old.
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