Trust in Cancer Information Sources and Awareness of Human Papillomavirus as a Cause of Cervical Cancer Among US Adults

Is there an association between trust in cancer information sources and awareness of human papillomavirus (HPV) as a cause of cervical cancer?In this cross-sectional study of 3914 US adults, compared with having lot of trust, having some and little or no trust in government health agencies, and having some trust in physicians for cancer information were associated with a lower odds of awareness that HPV causes cervical cancer. In contrast, having little or no trust in religious organizations was associated with higher odds of awareness of HPV as a cause of cervical cancer.These findings suggest that strengthening trust in government health agencies and physicians and organizing innovative public health promotion campaigns, community outreaches, and engagement initiatives could improve awareness about the role of HPV in cervical cancer and may contribute to eliminating this disease in the US.

Corresponding Author: Sanjay Shete, PhD, Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX 77030 (sshete@mdanderson.org).

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