TY - JOUR ID - 26262 TI - Assessment of the Knowledge and Attitude of Female Students towards Cervical Cancer Prevention at an International University in Japan JO - Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention JA - APJCP LA - en SN - 1513-7368 Y1 - 2012 PY - 2012 VL - 13 IS - 3 SP - 897 EP - 900 KW - cervical cancer KW - HPV KW - Immunization KW - Japanese women’s health KW - periodic Pap screening DO - N2 - Cervical cancer resulting from prior infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) is a significant public health threat against young Japanese women. A national immunization plan to vaccinate 13~16 year old female students against HPV infection has been started in Japan since 2010, and may reach almost full coverage by the end of 2012. Older age females who may already be sexually active are not targeted by this plan but should follow safer sex practices as well as periodic screening of the cervix cytology to reduce their risk of developing cervical cancer. HPV vaccination alone does not offer full protection either, because only some HPV types are covered by the vaccines and the long-term efficacy of the vaccines has not been determined yet. Therefore, we did a survey at an international university in Japan to study the knowledge and attitude of female college students towards prevention of cervical cancer, to examine the age when they start sexual activity and other related attributes that may influence the risk of cervical cancer. We discuss the results of our survey and what they imply for the possible impact of an HPV immunization plan on the risk of cervical cancer in Japan, and conclude by an emphasis on the need to increase awareness among Japanese female adolescents and to enhance the cervical screening rates among older females who are already sexually active. UR - https://journal.waocp.org/article_26262.html L1 - https://journal.waocp.org/article_26262_8fbe0a76ea5541ea5e1ca66060f94e8f.pdf ER -