20.500.12556/DKUM-97536 Difference in knowledge about HPV, HPV vaccination, and influencing factors between healthcare and non-healthcare students of the University of Rijeka Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most common sexually transmitted infection worldwide and a major cause of several cancers. HPV vaccination is the most effective measure of preventing HPV infection, but knowledge and attitudes towards HPV vaccination are inconsistent. Methods: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and vaccination status related to HPV among university students in both healthcare and non-healthcare fields. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 769 full-time students, including 362 healthcare and 407 non-healthcare students. Validated questionnaires assessed HPV knowledge, vaccination attitudes, sociodemographic characteristics, and vaccination status. Results: Healthcare students scored significantly higher on HPV knowledge and had more positive attitudes towards vaccination compared to non-healthcare students. Vaccination rates were similar in both groups. Higher HPV knowledge was significantly correlated with reduced vaccine hesitancy and more positive vaccination attitudes. Binary logistic regression indicated that being younger, having more positive attitudes toward vaccination, and possessing greater knowledge about HPV were each associated with a significantly higher likelihood of HPV vaccination. Conclusions: In conclusion, targeted educational interventions are necessary to enhance HPV vaccination acceptance, especially among non-healthcare students. Universities represent crucial settings for promoting health literacy and increasing HPV vaccination coverage to effectively prevent HPV-related cancers among young adults. attitude knowledge human papillomavirus papillomavirus vaccines students true true true MDPI Angleški jezik Angleški jezik Znanstveno delo 2026-03-17 09:43:36 2026-03-17 09:49:55 2026-03-18 03:39:22 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 str. 1-14 Št. 1 Letn. 6 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 2026-01-09 2026-02-04 2026-02-09 578.827-057.875 271876355 10.3390/hygiene6010008 2673-947X RAZ_Kresina_Sandro_2026.pdf RAZ_Kresina_Sandro_2026.pdf 1 71B1BCEA9518E50EDB28AAE6EAB0399A 18b47c899838d00409fd74a2c69debf3214acb240862011c5e4a684c38bf31f9 d5ca2f83-21dd-11f1-919a-00155d580e1a https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=204598 https://doi.org/10.3390/hygiene6010008 0 194acf5a-21de-11f1-919a-00155d580e1a https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=204599 https://www.mdpi.com/2673-947X/6/1/8#Institutional_Review_Board_Statement 1 68373031-21dd-11f1-919a-00155d580e1a https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=204597 Medicinska fakulteta 0 0 0