Skip to main content

Awareness and Knowledge about Human Papillomavirus Among Inuit Women in Nunavik, Quebec

Journal of Community Health volume 36, pages 56–62 (2011)Cite this article

Abstract

Accurate knowledge about human Papillomavirus (HPV) and its link to cervical cancer is essential for women to understand and make use of cervical cancer prevention and detection opportunities. This study was the first to survey awareness and knowledge of HPV in a population of Canadian Inuit. The objectives of this study were to assess the level of awareness and knowledge of Inuit women in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada, about HPV infection and its relation to cervical cancer and to study correlates of this awareness. A cross-sectional survey design was used. Women were recruited through convenience sampling at two recruitment sites in Ungava Bay from March 2008 to June 2009. Questionnaires were completed by 175 women aged 18–63. Thirty one percentage reported that they had heard of HPV. Of the women who had heard of HPV, 53% knew that HPV causes cervical cancer. The level of HPV awareness was not found to vary with participants’ age. Awareness of HPV was found to be associated with greater or equal to 13 years of education (OR = 4.4, 95%: 1.3–15.1) and knowing someone with cervical cancer (OR = 3.6, 95%: 1.4–8.9). Despite the high prevalence of HPV and incidence of cervical cancer in Inuit populations, there is a low level of knowledge in this population. The lack of awareness and knowledge and misconceptions found in this study has been consistently found in other non-Indigenous populations.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

43,34 €

Price includes VAT (Finland)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

References

  1. de Sanjose, S., Diaz, M., Castellsague, X., Clifford, G., Bruni, L., Munoz, N., et al. (2007). Worldwide prevalence and genotype distribution of cervical human Papillomavirus DNA in women with normal cytology: A meta-analysis. Lancet Infect Dis, 7(7), 453–459.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Walboomers, J. M., Jacobs, M. V., Manos, M. M., Bosch, F. X., Kummer, J. A., Shah, K. V., et al. (1999). Human Papillomavirus is a necessary cause of invasive cervical cancer worldwide. Journal of Pathology, 189(1), 12–19.

    CAS  Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Bosch, F. X., Lorincz, A., Munoz, N., Meijer, C. J., & Shah, K. V. (2002). The causal relation between human Papillomavirus and cervical cancer. Journal of Clinical Pathology, 55(4), 244–265.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Hamlin-Douglas, L. K., Coutlee, F., Roger, M., Franco, E. L., & Brassard, P. (2008). Prevalence and age distribution of human Papillomavirus infection in a population of Inuit women in Nunavik, Quebec. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, 17(11), 3141–3149.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Kjaer, S. K., & Nielsen, N. H. (1996). Cancer of the female genital tract in Circumpolar Inuit. Acta Oncologica, 35(5), 581–587.

    CAS  Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Klug, S. J., Hukelmann, M., & Blettner, M. (2008). Knowledge about infection with human Papillomavirus: A systematic review. Preventive Medicine, 46(2), 87–98.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Toffolon-Weiss, M., Hagan, K., Leston, J., Peterson, L., Provost, E., & Hennessy, T. (2008). Alaska native parental attitudes on cervical cancer, HPV and the HPV vaccine. Int J Circumpolar Health, 67(4), 363–373.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Statistics Canada. (2007). Nunavik, Québec (table). Aboriginal Population Profile, 2006 Census, Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 92-594-XWF. Ottawa. Released January 15, 2008. 8–1–2010.

  9. Giles, M., & Garland, S. (2006). A study of women’s knowledge regarding human Papillomavirus infection, cervical cancer and human Papillomavirus vaccines. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 46(4), 311–315.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Pitts, M., & Clarke, T. (2002). Human Papillomavirus infections and risks of cervical cancer: What do women know? Health Education Research, 17(6), 706–714.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Maxwell, C. J., Bancej, C. M., Snider, J., & Vik, S. A. (2001). Factors important in promoting cervical cancer screening among Canadian women: Findings from the 1996–97 National Population Health Survey (NPHS). Canadian Journal of Public Health, 92(2), 127–133.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Waller, J., McCaffery, K., Forrest, S., Szarewski, A., Cadman, L., & Wardle, J. (2003). Awareness of human Papillomavirus among women attending a well woman clinic. Sex Transm Infect, 79(4), 320–322.

    CAS  Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Moreira, E. D., Jr., Oliveira, B. G., Ferraz, F. M., Costa, S., Costa Filho, J. O., & Karic, G. (2006). Knowledge and attitudes about human Papillomavirus, Pap smears, and cervical cancer among young women in Brazil: Implications for health education and prevention. Int J Gynecol Cancer, 16(2), 599–603.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Marlow, L. A., Waller, J., & Wardle, J. (2007). Public awareness that HPV is a risk factor for cervical cancer. British Journal of Cancer, 97(5), 691–694.

    CAS  Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Stark, A., Gregoire, L., Pilarski, R., Zarbo, A., Gaba, A., & Lancaster, W. D. (2008). Human Papillomavirus, cervical cancer and women’s knowledge. Cancer Detection and Prevention, 32(1), 15–22.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Tiro, J. A., Meissner, H. I., Kobrin, S., & Chollette, V. (2007). What do women in the U.S. know about human Papillomavirus and cervical cancer? Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, 16(2), 288–294.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Nohr, B., Munk, C., Tryggvadottir, L., Sparen, P., Tran, T. N., Nygard, M., et al. (2008). Awareness of human Papillomavirus in a cohort of nearly 70,000 women from four Nordic countries. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 87(10), 1048–1054.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Sauvageau, C., Duval, B., Gilca, V., Lavoie, F., & Ouakki, M. (2007). Human papilloma virus vaccine and cervical cancer screening acceptability among adults in Quebec, Canada. BMC Public Health, 7, 304.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Papa, D., Moore Simas, T. A., Reynolds, M., & Melnitsky, H. (2009). Assessing the role of education in women’s knowledge and acceptance of adjunct high-risk human Papillomavirus testing for cervical cancer screening. J Low Genit Tract Dis, 13(2), 66–71.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Holcomb, B., Bailey, J. M., Crawford, K., & Ruffin, M. T. (2004). Adults’ knowledge and behaviors related to human Papillomavirus infection. J Am Board Fam Pract, 17(1), 26–31.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Di Giuseppe, G., Abbate, R., Liguori, G., Albano, L., & Angelillo, I. F. (2008). Human Papillomavirus and vaccination: Knowledge, attitudes, and behavioural intention in adolescents and young women in Italy. British Journal of Cancer, 99(2), 225–229.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Jain, N., Euler, G. L., Shefer, A., Lu, P., Yankey, D., & Markowitz, L. (2009). Human Papillomavirus (HPV) awareness and vaccination initiation among women in the United States, National Immunization Survey-Adult 2007. Preventive Medicine, 48(5), 426–431.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Gerend, M. A., & Magloire, Z. F. (2008). Awareness, knowledge, and beliefs about human Papillomavirus in a racially diverse sample of young adults. Journal of Adolescent Health, 42(3), 237–242.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Sandfort, J. R., & Pleasant, A. (2009). Knowledge, attitudes, and informational behaviors of college students in regard to the human Papillomavirus. J Am Coll Health, 58(2), 141–149.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Moeller, H. (2005). A problem of the government? Colonization and the socio-cultural experience of tuberculosis in Nunavut. Copenhagen: University of Copenhagen.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Christopher, S., Gidley, A. L., Letiecq, B., Smith, A., & McCormick, A. K. (2008). A cervical cancer community-based participatory research project in a Native American community. Health Educ Behav, 35(6), 821–834.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Dignan, M., Michielutte, R., Blinson, K., Wells, H. B., Case, L. D., Sharp, P., et al. (1996). Effectiveness of health education to increase screening for cervical cancer among eastern-band Cherokee Indian women in North Carolina. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 88(22), 1670–1676.

    CAS  Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Kahn, J. A., Rosenthal, S. L., Hamann, T., & Bernstein, D. I. (2003). Attitudes about human Papillomavirus vaccine in young women. International Journal of STD and AIDS, 14(5), 300–306.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Dursun, P., Altuntas, B., Kuscu, E., & Ayhan, A. (2009). Women’s knowledge about human Papillomavirus and their acceptance of HPV vaccine. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 49(2), 202–206.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We could like to gratefully acknowledge the Tulattavik Health Centre, collaborating nurse practitioners, communities, the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services, and especially Johanne Blouin and Anne-Marie Lowe for making this research possible. This project was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and a Team Grant on HPV Infection and Associated Diseases from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). H. Cerigo was supported by CIHR. E. L. Franco was supported by a Distinguished Scientist career award from CIHR. P. Brassard was supported by a clinician scientist career award from the Fonds de Recherche en Santé du Quebec (FRSQ).

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Helen Cerigo, Eduardo L. Franco & Paul Brassard

  2. Division of Oral Health and Society, Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Mary Ellen Macdonald

  3. Department of Oncology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Eduardo L. Franco

  4. Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Paul Brassard

Authors
  1. Helen Cerigo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mary Ellen Macdonald
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Eduardo L. Franco
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Paul Brassard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paul Brassard.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cerigo, H., Macdonald, M.E., Franco, E.L. et al. Awareness and Knowledge about Human Papillomavirus Among Inuit Women in Nunavik, Quebec. J Community Health 36, 56–62 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-010-9278-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-010-9278-x

Keywords

  • Human Papillomavirus
  • Women’s knowledge
  • Inuit
  • Aboriginal health