Internet and HPV: A possibility for health education among adolescents?

Authors

  • Carolina dos Santos Master’s student in Health Promotion from the Postgraduate Program in Health Promotion at the University Center of Maringá (UniCesumar). Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from the University Center of Maringá (UniCesumar). Maringá, PR, Brazil
  • Flavia Santos de Carvalho Undergraduate student in Medicine from the University Center of Maringá (UniCesumar). Scientific Initiation Scholarship from CNPq. Maringá, PR, Brazil
  • Mariana Passos PhD in Medical Sciences and Bioethics from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Postdoctoral student in the Postgraduate Program in Health Promotion at the University Center of Maringá (UniCesumar). Maringá, PR, Brazil
  • Lucas Garcia PhD in Education Sciences from the University of Porto, Portugal. Professor in the Postgraduate Program in Health Promotion and the Postgraduate Program in Knowledge Management in Organizations of the Maringá University Center (UniCesumar). Maringá, PR, Brazil
  • Regiane Macuch PhD in Physiology from the Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP). Postdoctoral degree from the Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP). Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil. Productivity Scholarship from the Cesumar Institute of Science, Technology and Innovation (ICETI). Professor in the Postgraduate Program in Health Promotion of the Maringá University Center (UniCesumar). Maringá, PR, Brazil
  • Marcelo Bernuci

Keywords:

Adolescent, Social Networking, Health Promotion, Human papillomavirus 6

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the pattern of internet use by 9th grade girls in elementary school, with the intention of using it to support actions to control HPV transmission. METHODS: Cross-sectional study that analyzed the level of digital literacy and knowledge about HPV, through a questionnaire applied to 230 female students from nine public schools in Maringá. RESULTS: The average age of the participants was 14 years. Most of the interviewees knew that HPV is a virus that can be transmitted sexually. 74% had heard about HPV at the health center. 97% have a cell phone, which is the most used means to access the internet, and the most used social networks are Facebook, WhatsApp and YouTube. CONCLUSION: Due to the large number of users of digital media, especially social networks, this could be an important means of spreading awareness and education about HPV prevention, especially among young people, which is the focus of the primary prevention program, consisting of vaccination.

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Published

2019-01-14

How to Cite

dos Santos, C., Santos de Carvalho, F., Passos, M., Garcia, L., Macuch, R., & Bernuci, M. (2019). Internet and HPV: A possibility for health education among adolescents?. Adolescência E Saúde, 16(1), 46–59. Retrieved from https://adolescenciaesaude.com/index.php/aes/article/view/238

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 1 (2019): Vol. 16 No. 1 (2019)

Section

Original Articles

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Copyright (c) 2019 Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.