Academic Journal
The gender gap in HPV Literacy: A Cross-Sectional study of patient awareness of HPV-Related oropharyngeal carcinoma in men in the vaccine era.
| Τίτλος: | The gender gap in HPV Literacy: A Cross-Sectional study of patient awareness of HPV-Related oropharyngeal carcinoma in men in the vaccine era. |
|---|---|
| Συγγραφείς: | Yamin T; Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Samson Assuta University Hospital, Ashdod, Israel; Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel. Electronic address: Tzahiy@ashmc.co.il., Bergman D; Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Samson Assuta University Hospital, Ashdod, Israel; Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel., Bartal K; Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Samson Assuta University Hospital, Ashdod, Israel; Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel., Tiomkin E; Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel., Reuveni MM; Faculty of Medicine, Recanati School of Medicine, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel., Cohen O; Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Samson Assuta University Hospital, Ashdod, Israel; Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel., Maiershon D; Faculty of Medicine, Recanati School of Medicine, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel. |
| Πηγή: | Oral oncology [Oral Oncol] 2026 Sep; Vol. 180, pp. 108075. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jul 07. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 9709118 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1879-0593 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 13688375 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Oral Oncol Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: Amsterdam : Elsevier Original Publication: Oxford ; New York : Pergamon, c1997- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Oropharyngeal Neoplasms*/virology , Oropharyngeal Neoplasms*/prevention & control , Papillomavirus Vaccines*/therapeutic use , Papillomavirus Infections*/prevention & control , Papillomavirus Infections*/complications , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice* , Human Papillomavirus Viruses* , Health Literacy*, Humans ; Male ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Aged ; Sex Factors ; Vaccination |
| Περίληψη: | Objective: To evaluate public knowledge regarding Human Papillomavirus (HPV), its oncogenic role in males, and vaccination with a specific focus on oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). Methods: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted among patients attending outpatient community otolaryngology and primary care clinics (N = 265). Knowledge was assessed across disease-related and vaccine-specific domains. Multivariable linear regression was utilized to identify independent predictors of higher knowledge scores, with sensitivity analyses performed to ensure the robustness of findings across different scoring methodologies (strict vs. raw scores). Results: The median overall knowledge score was 4 out of a maximum of 8 points (IQR 2-5). A profound deficit was observed in male-specific oncological awareness (59.6 % identified most common HPV-related cancer in women vs. 8.9 % in men). Only 26.4 % correctly identified the primary route of transmission. In the multivariable model, higher knowledge was independently predicted by female sex (B = 0.472, p = 0.016), academic education (B = 0.781, p < 0.001), and higher self-rated vaccine knowledge (B = 0.436, p < 0.001). The Periphery Cluster was not a significant predictor after adjustment (p = 0.202). Sensitivity analyses confirmed the stability of these associations across all scoring definitions. Conclusion: Public awareness fails to reflect the rising clinical burden of HPV-related malignancies in males, mainly regarding oropharyngeal cancer. Educational interventions should pivot toward gender-neutral messaging, improving risk perception and vaccination uptake among men. (Copyright © 2026 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Health knowledge, attitudes, practice; Health literacy; Human papillomavirus; Oropharyngeal neoplasms; Papillomavirus vaccines; Primary prevention |
| Substance Nomenclature: | 0 (Papillomavirus Vaccines) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260707 Date Completed: 20260726 Latest Revision: 20260726 |
| Update Code: | 20260727 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2026.108075 |
| PMID: | 42413392 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1879-0593 |
|---|---|
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2026.108075 |