The vaccinaTion & Hpv Knowledge (THinK) questionnaire: A reliability and validity study on a sample of women living in Sicily (southern-Italy)

Abstract

Objective. The aim of this study was to introduce the VaccinaTion & Hpv Knowledge (THinK) questionnaire to assess knowledge about human papillomavirus (HPV) and attitude to HPV-vaccination. Its reliability and validity was demonstrated in a sample of women living in Sicily (southern Italy). Methods. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on a sample of 220 women at the ''Paolo Giaccone'' University Hospital in Palermo (Sicily), aged 18-61. Data were analyzed through Cronbach's alpha and exploratory factor analysis, followed by a structural equation model with measurement component. The two-level data structure was explicitly considered. Results. Three dimensions were found: ''knowledge of HPV infection (kHPV), ''Attitude to be vaccinated against HPV (aHPV)'' and ''Knowledge about vaccines (KV)'' (97% overall explained variance). Internal consistency was good for the whole questionnaire (0.82) and the first dimension (0.88) and acceptable for the second (0.78) and the third dimension (0.73). 23% of women showed no or little knowledge of HPV and 44.3% of women had no or little knowledge about HPV induced lesions. Discussion. The use of a validated questionnaire may serve as a useful measure to assess general knowledge about HPV and attitude towards vaccination against HPV in the primary prevention setting.