The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a significant health problem that increases the risk of developing precancerous lesions, cancer of the anogenital area, as well as mouth and throat cancers. The aim of the study was to analyze the awareness level of common risk factors and the preferred sexual behavior of women aged 18-68, who underwent a molecular evaluation of common HR-HPV from material collected from the cervix. The study was conducted at the Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, Collegium Medicum, in the period from December 2019 to August 2020 on a group of 201 women. A diagnostic survey and the HR-HPV molecular test were used in the research. All of the obtained samples were subjected to identification of and testing for the presence of HR-HPV by the Cobas 4800 platform (Roche Diagnostic©, Basel, Switzerland). We presented the statistically significant relationships between the age of the respondents and the awareness of the impact. The women aged over 43 years old presented the widest spectrum of information concerning HPV-related lesions. Conclusion: Our study highlights the necessity of educating women about the prevention of sexually transmitted infections.
Keywords: HPV infection; HPV virus; cancer development; sexual behavior.