Design of educational intervention for the prevention of cervical cancer in university students

Abstract

Introduction: cervical cancer is one of the non-communicable chronic diseases. It is currently one of the main causes of death. During the last years, this kind of cancer morbidity has notably struck on health and life quality indicators of female population around the world.

Objective: to design an educative intervention for preventing cervical cancer in students of the first year of Medicine studies in the University of Medical Sciences of Matanzas. 

Materials and methods: development research demanding a descriptive, observational study, inserted in the Branch Program Non-communicable Chronic Diseases. The universe of study is 740 teenagers, and the sample, systematically sampled, 246 students.    

Results: most of students gave the category of single or consensual union as marital status; the beginning of sexual relationships has higher incidence at the age of 14-15 years, although it is significant the quantity of adolescents beginning sexual relationships at the ages of 16 and 17 years. In order to the presence of cervical cancer risk factors like multiple sexual partners, contraceptive tablets use, smoking habit and sexually transmitted infections (STI), multiple sexual partners and the use of contraceptive tablets showed the most significant quantities;  and about the distribution of the motives boosting the beginning of sexual relationships are highlighted the motives of experimenting new sensations, the fact of pleasing the sexual partner and the group pressure, respectively; just 5.28 % answered it was looking for pleasure.   

Conclusions: students have considerable risk factors of suffering cervical cancer. A proposal of educative intervention was designed.