1. What is the complete title and objectives of your study?

The title of our study is the “Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of

Business Process Outsourcing Agents towards Human Papilloma Virus
in the Clark Freeport and Economic Zone” and the objectives of the
study is to determine the level of knowledge of BPO Agents regarding
HPV, its causative agent, transmission, and risk factors, to determine
the attitudes of BPO Agents concerning HPV, and to determine
preventative practices that BPO Agents undertake to reduce HPV
transmission.

2. Does your study have significant impact to public health?

Yes, since HPV is considered to be one of the leading causes of STI

and according to the CDC, one of the criteria for a disease to be a
public health concern is its communicability and prevalence. With that
being said, HPV meets the criteria because it can be transmitted
primarily via sexual contact or skin-to-skin contact in the genital area,
though non-sexual modes of transmission include vertical and fomite
transmission, so literally anyone can be infected if this disease is
neglected, and it can also lead to other chronic diseases like cervical
cancer. Since this study will determine the level of Knowledge,
Attitudes, and Practices of Business Process Outsourcing Agents
towards Human Papilloma Virus, this study can be the basis if the
awareness of the public about HPV still needs improvement. Hence,
making this study significant to public health.

3. Who is your chosen locale? Why?

The Clark Freeport and Economic Zone's BPO companies were

selected as the locale. This industry was chosen for this study because
previous research has shown that call-center agents have a higher
prevalence of risky sexual behavior (150% and 450% increase for men
and women, respectively, compared to employees in other fields),
including low condom use, early sexual interaction, and promiscuity.
There has also been a documented lack of STD knowledge among call
center personnel, which can lead to poor practices and attitudes.

4. How did you come up with your sample size? Were you able to
reach your desired
sample?

According to data gathered from the Clark Development Corporation,

there are currently 139 registered locators in the BPO business
operating in the Clark Economic and Freeport Zone, with 33,626
employees. Using the Raosoft® software, a sample size of 380 was
generated, and data was collected using a random sampling method,
lowering the danger of bias and increasing the study's validity.

5. How many respondents does your study have? Were any of them
included/excluded?

There were 385 respondents and none were excluded since all of them
are currently active call center agents.

6. How did you collect your sample?

We collected our data through disseminating our surveys online (social

media) via google forms. We also conducted a face to face data
collection wherein we tried to visit different BPO companies in Clark.

7. What statistical tools were utilized in your study?

We used Raosoft software to gather the sample size needed and

according to our statistician, minitab16 were used for the data analysis.

8. Discuss your results (in a manner that answers your specific

objectives).

The findings revealed that the participants had a moderate level of

knowledge; however, education programs and seminars are still
needed, especially since there are misconceptions about mechanisms
of transmission and their implications. Next, it was found that the
participants had positive attitudes toward HPV, which included
acceptance of infected individuals, in that they should not be ashamed,
acceptance to travel in vehicles with infected individuals, and
acceptance that they have the same right to work as everyone else.
However, respondents are unsure about other attitudes, such as
whether it is safe for HPV-positive people to work with children, whether
it is safe to eat food prepared by an HPV-positive person, whether it is
safe to use the same toilet as an HPV-positive person, and the belief
that HPV-positive people do not practice personal hygiene. This



increases the population's need for supplemental education. Lastly, in

terms of practices, it has been found that good HPV practices such as
good hygiene, condom use during sexual intercourse, awareness of
alcohol and risky sexual behavior, a willingness to learn more about
HPV, whether infected or not, and a willingness to consider vaccination
were common across the population.

9. Does your study have direct benefit to your participants?

Yes, it has a direct benefit for the selected participants because prior
research in the Philippines has shown that Business Process
Outsourcing (BPO) agents exhibit greater levels of risky sexual
behaviors. A poll found that 3 out of every 4 call-center workers engage
in "penetrative premarital sex" among 929 respondents in 22 BPOs in
Metro Manila and Cebu. Premarital sex is considerably more prevalent
in BPOs (75%), compared to other industries (66.6%). They are also
said to have poor knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases
(STDs). As a result, the outcomes of this study might indicate what was
lacking in their knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding HPV that
caused them to be at risk for STI. This research could be extremely
useful in the future in terms of disease prevention.

10. Are there any perceived risks to your participants?

None since they only needed to answer the survey and the survey were
strictly kept confidential and they also were not required to write or input
their names to respect their privacy.

11. What can you infer from your study?

The study suggests that BPO agents had a moderate level of

awareness, favorable attitudes, and positive practices about the Human
Papillomavirus. However, there are still areas where the population lags
behind in terms of HPV infection. (Same answer as number 8) As a
result, more studies may be undertaken in various locations and
populations, such as among sex workers, red-light districts, and other
communities prone to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Future
researchers may also opt to investigate potential hurdles associated
with other components of HPV, such as immunizations and education,
as well as the underlying causes of specific behaviors.