Survey on the risk factors for cervical cancer known by biomedicine students

ABSTRACT

The development of cervical cancer is related with human papillomavirus infection with greater intensity the subtypes 16 and 18. Considering that the lifestyle of women influences the development of this cancer, this study aimed to perform a survey on the risk factors for cervical cancer known by biomedicine students. Descriptive and exploratory research, with a quantitative approach was performed with 101 biomedical undergraduates. Data were collected from February to March 2018 through a questionnaire and analyzed in the Statistical Package for the Social Science program. Students in the age group of 18 to 24 years old (89.11%), single (93.07%), with family income between two and three minimum wages prevailed (43.56%). It also showed that participants started their sexual life early (average 16 years old), had more than one sexual partner throughout their lives, had no relation to smoking (100%), most were not alcohol consumers (66%), did not take the Papanicolaou preventive exam (61.39%), did not practice physical activity (55.45%) and had a low frequency in the use of condoms during sexual intercourse (22.08%). It is concluded that there is a need for educational campaigns in Higher Education Institutions, which provide more information about the prevention of Cervical Cancer and the prevention of associated risk factors.