{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,27]],"date-time":"2026-10-27T03:00:43Z","timestamp":1793070043215,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"Pensoft Publishers","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,30]],"date-time":"2026-01-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769731200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["FM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Abstract<\/jats:bold>\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Introduction<\/jats:bold>\n                    : Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are highly prevalent and are linked to a range of health conditions, from benign lesions to several oncological diseases. Safe and highly effective HPV vaccines have been developed; however, vaccination rates remain suboptimal in many countries, including Bulgaria. As future medical professionals, the attitudes and practices of healthcare students toward HPV vaccination are of extreme importance.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Aim<\/jats:bold>\n                    : To evaluate the attitudes and practices of university healthcare students regarding HPV vaccines.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Materials and methods<\/jats:bold>\n                    : An anonymous online survey was administered to a total of 245 medical, dental, and pharmacy students at the Medical University of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS v. 24;\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    &amp;lt;0.05 was considered significant.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Results<\/jats:bold>\n                    : The majority of participants (86.5%, n=212) had not been vaccinated against HPV, but more than half (n=121) expressed a willingness to be vaccinated. The proportion of vaccinated individuals increased with the number of sexual partners reported in the previous year (\u03c7\n                    <jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup>\n                    =10.44,\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    =0.033). Approximately two-thirds of the individuals surveyed (n=157) would recommend vaccination, with a higher likelihood among women (U=1848.5,\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    &amp;lt;0.001). Vaccinated respondents tended to have greater distrust of the myth regarding reproductive consequences (U=1926.0,\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    =0.002). Embarrassment was not perceived as a major barrier, but 21.2% (n=52) stated that cost was. There was a consensus among all majors on the necessity for enhanced awareness, which is particularly pronounced among medical students (H=13.13,\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    &amp;lt;0.001). Unvaccinated respondents had a higher interest in gaining more knowledge (U=1971.0,\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    =0.003), just like first- to third-year students (H=9.37,\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    =0.017).\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Conclusion<\/jats:bold>\n                    : While overall vaccine confidence and attitudes are high, addressing specific concerns (such as safety, personal risk, and cost) could improve HPV vaccine uptake and acceptance.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3897\/folmed.68.e160562","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,30]],"date-time":"2026-01-30T16:01:16Z","timestamp":1769788876000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Assessment of attitudes and practices regarding human papillomavirus vaccines among Medical University students: preliminary results"],"prefix":"10.3897","volume":"68","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5275-7799","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Meri","family":"Hristamyan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"2258","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"160562_B1","unstructured":"1. 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