HPV research paper
Human Papillomavirus Human Papillomavirus is a sexually transmitted disease that infects over twenty million Americans each year (Vanslyke, Baum, Plaza, Otero, Wheeler, Helizter, 2008, P. 584). Many of these people do not realize that they are infected because they do not show any symptoms. Even though HPV has been talked about for decades, it is only until recent years that the topic has become part of mainstream women’s health issues. Not only that, many of these people are women who do not understand the importance of testing for HPV. HPV is one of the leading causes of cervical cancer among women. This is especially true for women in the Hispanic community. Hispanics have higher instances of cervical cancer and mortality rates (Luque, Castaneda, Tyson, Vargas, Proctor, and Meade, 2010, P. 84). By studying data about these women, we can better understand how to communicate and educate communities about HPV and the importance of knowing about HPV, being regularly tested, and using vaccines when possible. This paper is an analysis of the lack of knowledge about HPV, the importance of HPV testing, and the necessity for vaccinations and availability among Latina women. I personally have a lot of knowledge when it comes to HPV because I work for a laboratory company that runs HPV testing. I work with several physicians within the state of Texas who struggle with patient compliance and patient education when it comes to HPV. It’s important to me because there are many patients that do not adhere to the Center for Disease Control guidelines for HPV testing. One of the major issues with the Hispanic community is lack of knowledge and attitude about HPV. Many Hispanics in the United States live below the poverty line which prohibits them from adequate health care (Vanslyke et al., 2008, P. 586). Hispanics have poorer access to health care because many are without health insurance. This in turn forces many Hispanic women to go without any knowledge
Bibliography: Humphries, C. (2012, August 30). Testing Times. Nature, 488, S8-S9. Lugue, J. S., Castaneda, H., Tyson, D. M., Vargas, N., Proctor, S., & Meade, C. D. (2010). HPV Awareness Among Latina Immigrants and Anglo-American Women in the Southern United States: Cultural Models of Cervical Cancer Risk Factors and Beliefs. NAPA Bulletin, 34(1), 84-104. Vanslyke, J. G., Baum, J., Plaza, V., Otero, M., Wheeler, C., & Helitzer, D. (2008). HPV and Cervical Cancer Testing and Prevention: Knowledge, Beliefs, and Attitudes Among Hispanic Women. Qualitative Health Research, 18(5), 584-596.