What Is the Reference for Your Article?
Pleasant, A. & Sandfort, J. R. (2009). Knowledge, Attitudes, and Informational Behaviors of College Students regarding the Human Papillomavirus. Journal of American College Health, 58(2), 141-149.
Read the Entire Article. What Are Your First Impressions of the Article? Do You Believe That It Is Complete? Does It Answer Your Questions or Are You Left With Unanswered Questions?
My first impression is that the article will bring a positive contribution among the readers concerning reproductive health care education and awareness particularly information about Human papillomavirus, HPV, and other sexually transmitted infections. The article is not complete since we are told from this article that the information about HPV is confusing to some extent. It is also noted again that more research is still being undertaken that may give new details about HPV and therefore what is given in this article is not comprehensive (Pleasant & Sandfort, 2009).
The article answers most of my questions. However, there are some questions, which remain debatable and partially answered, for instance, the question of various modes of transmission is not answered fully (Pleasant & Sandfort, 2009).
Who Are the Researchers? What Do They Do? Why Did They Write This Article?
The researchers are known as Jessica R. Sandfort and Andrew Pleasant. Jessica Sandfort is an MPH student at the Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York. While Pleasant, a Ph.D. holder is the director of Health Literacy and Communication at the Canyon Ranch Institute in Tucson, Arizona (Pleasant & Sandroft, 2009).
Objective
The main aim of writing the study was to evaluate the level of awareness among the student population concerning HPV and other sexually transmitted diseases and thereafter provide education on facts about these illnesses.
Does the Title of the Article Reflect the Research Conducted? if You Were to Write a Better Title, What Would It Be?
The title reflects the research conducted. Nevertheless, if I were to write a better title for the research then it would read, “The Scientific Study of the Level of awareness, Feelings, and Approach among College Students Concerning Human Papillomavirus and Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases”.
Summarize the Article, Labeling & Answering the Following Questions
The research addresses the problem of low levels of literacy concerning HPV and other related sexually transmitted diseases and the stigma associated with the diseases (Pleasant & Sandroft 142). This research aims to determine the level of literacy among college students concerning HPV and other related STIs. Their attitude and approach about gender and age.
The literature review is sufficient and thorough as it creates a strong background for the study by providing information on the current knowledge of HPV regarding its means of transmission and prevention.
The sample is not adequate since the study was only done in one college and this does not adequately represent the whole population segment, i.e. it is not representative (Pleasant & Sandroft 145).
The authors used both qualitative and quantitative research methods including questionnaires and statistical methods of data analysis to derive their conclusion.
Ethical Considerations
The authors mention informed content when talking about the limitations of this study. He says since the study relied on self-reporting, the participant may have attempted to respond based on what they believe were the expectations of the researcher and thus prejudice the results (Pleasant & Sandroft, 2009).
Research Findings
The authors conclude that this is the right time to initiate public awareness health campaign to raise literacy levels about HPV among the youth. The authors also conclude that there has been an improvement in levels of understanding about HPV as compared to the time of the previous research.
No. the authors did not overstate the conclusion. They gave it the strong tone it deserves since this research concerns a serious disease that poses a great threat to peoples’ lives.
I trust the research findings. This is because the study used a scientifically sound research methodology beginning from background research to the conclusion. Besides, the authors are both experts in the field of human health and hence the article is written from an expert point of view (Caron, Kispert & McGrath, 2009, p. 1-5).
References
Caron, R.M., Kispert, E. & McGrath, R.J. (2009). Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine: Attitudes, Behaviors, and Beliefs of At-Risk Women. The Internet Journal of Health, 9(2), 1-5.
Pleasant, A. & Sandfort, J. R. (2009). Knowledge, Attitudes, and Informational Behaviors of College Students in Regard to the Human Papillomavirus. Journal of American College Health, 58(2), 141-149.