Social Representations of Human Papillomavirus in Bogotá, Colombia

Bibliographic Data

ID2151158
AuthorsCarolina Wiesner (0000-0002-3373-1809, Universidad Externado de Colombia, corresponding author), Jesús Acosta (0000-0001-5745-3383, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología), Adriana Díaz Del Castillo (0000-0001-6689-0905, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología), Sandra Tovar (Instituto Nacional de Cancerología)
Year2012
Volume31
Issue1
Pages77-92
Publication date2012-01-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueMedical Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0145-9740 • E-ISSN: 1545-5882
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01459740.2011.633947
PMID22288472
OpenAlexW1992829914
LanguageES
References cited35

Identifying DNA of Human papillomavirus (HPV) has been proposed as a new screening method for cervical cancer control. Conventionally, health education for screening programs is based on scientific information without considering any community cognitive processes. We examine HPV social representations of 124 men and women from diverse educational status living in Bogotá, Colombia. The social representation of HPV involves a series of figurative nuclei derived from meanings linked to scientific information. While women focused on symbols associated to contagion, men focused on its venereal character. Figurative nuclei also included long-term uncertainty, need or urgent treatment, and feelings of imminent death associated with cancer and chronic sexually transmitted infections. The social representation of HPV impeded many participants from clearly understanding written information about HPV transmission, clearance, and cancer risk; they are built into a framework of values, which must be deconstructed to allow women full participation in HPV screening programs

Cancer · Cervical cancer · Feeling · Linguistics · Literal and figurative language · Political science · Representation (politics · Social representation · Sociology · Transmission (telecommunications · Cervical Cancer and HPV Research · Computer Science · Focus Groups and Qualitative Methods · Gender Studies · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology · Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy

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