Students work towards HPV awareness for senior project
Maureen Smith
Issue date: 2/14/08 Section: News
The latest news in health care surrounds the importance of HPV awareness, specifically involving the controversial vaccine, Gardasil. Therefore, it was with hopeful intentions that seniors Justin Schmiedel and Dusty Connelly chose HPV awareness as their topic for their senior project. Both interested in pursuing careers in health care after graduating, Schmiedel and Connelly chose this issue since it has a very limited knowledge base, even though it is the leading sexually-transmitted disease in the United States.
After surveying the campus community on students' knowledge of HPV, Schmiedel and Connelly discovered that there is very little awareness on the topic. The results from the survey indicated that, while over 70 percent of the students have had more than two partners and over 85 percent are sexually active, only 50 percent have actually been tested for the virus. Since 70 percent of cervical cancer is caused by HPV, the results were eye-opening for the two seniors who had not realized that most people so often overlook the topic.
It is especially important to raise awareness in a college community, since the virus is passed on by skin-to-skin contact, and with the vast majority of students being sexually active, they are the most susceptible to HPV.
As Schmiedel and Connelly have learned through much extensive research, over 46 percent of college students have the virus. Prior to the establishment of their project, Schmiedel states that he "did not realize the dire importance for HPV awareness on campus, and that it is the most common STD." One in four women are diagnosed with a form of HPV, and it is "even more important to get checked for the virus, since condoms do not fully prevent you from getting it."
In turn, Connelly stressed the importance of the fact that the main focus of the study was "not to advocate celibacy, bur rather to raise awareness about the potential consequences that come from HPV." In order to promote a burgeoning knowledge base surrounding the virus around campus, both seniors have generated a website as a main source for information and general facts, treatment options and suggestions on how students can talk to their partner if they have the virus.
After surveying the campus community on students' knowledge of HPV, Schmiedel and Connelly discovered that there is very little awareness on the topic. The results from the survey indicated that, while over 70 percent of the students have had more than two partners and over 85 percent are sexually active, only 50 percent have actually been tested for the virus. Since 70 percent of cervical cancer is caused by HPV, the results were eye-opening for the two seniors who had not realized that most people so often overlook the topic.
It is especially important to raise awareness in a college community, since the virus is passed on by skin-to-skin contact, and with the vast majority of students being sexually active, they are the most susceptible to HPV.
As Schmiedel and Connelly have learned through much extensive research, over 46 percent of college students have the virus. Prior to the establishment of their project, Schmiedel states that he "did not realize the dire importance for HPV awareness on campus, and that it is the most common STD." One in four women are diagnosed with a form of HPV, and it is "even more important to get checked for the virus, since condoms do not fully prevent you from getting it."
In turn, Connelly stressed the importance of the fact that the main focus of the study was "not to advocate celibacy, bur rather to raise awareness about the potential consequences that come from HPV." In order to promote a burgeoning knowledge base surrounding the virus around campus, both seniors have generated a website as a main source for information and general facts, treatment options and suggestions on how students can talk to their partner if they have the virus.
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