Abstract 278: Risk factors and prevalence of genital HPV infection among adult females in US between 2003-2010: Data from NHANES study
Authors: Devarakonda Srinivas S. , Neppalli Amarendra , Liu Lihong , Friday Ellen , Shi Runhua 
Published: May 2015

Background: More than 50% of sexually active individuals are infected with human papilloma viruses (HPV). Patients with high-risk type HPV infection are at risk for developing cervical cancer later in their life. Several social, demographic and behavioral factors are associated with HPV infection. Our study estimates the prevalence of genital HPV infection and explores the risk factors associated with HPV infection.

Methods: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for the years 2003-2010 was used in this study. These surveys included interviews and laboratory measurements. Around 20,000 females aged 18-59 years were included. Data management and statistical analyses were conducted using SAS software 9.3 and SAS callable SUDAAN 11.0.1.

Results: The weighted prevalence of HPV infection was 42.9%. Black females had the highest prevalence of HPV infection (60.2%). In a univariate analysis, smoking, drug use, insurance status, age at first sexual contact, number of sexual partners, condom use, and sexual orientation were all associated with HPV infection. In a multivariate analysis, after adjusting for other factors (e.g. country of birth, routine places for healthcare) age, race, level of education, being in a married relation, number of sexual partners and condom use were all significant factors affecting the risk of HPV infection. Age at first sexual encounter and sexual orientation were found to be no longer significant. Non-Hispanic (NH) blacks are 1.73 times more likely to get HPV as compared to NH whites. Age is negatively associated with the risk of HPV infection, except for a second peak between 45-49 years. Participants with only high school degree are at a 30% increased risk of HPV infection compared to college-educated women. Never married (OR=1.89) or divorced or separated (OR=2.4) women have an increased risk of being infected with HPV. HPV infection is 3.7 times more likely for women who have had &gt;11 partners as compared to women with 0-1 partners. Women who have sex without a condom half the time are at a 47% increased risk for contracting HPV as compared to women who have sex with a condom at all times.

Conclusions: We estimate that 42.9% of females aged 18-59 years have genital HPV infection. There is a compelling need to implement measures to prevent further HPV infections. Health education and promotion should focus on limiting the number of sexual partners and encouraging safe sexual practices including the use of condoms. Vaccinating females against HPV at an early age will not only help reduce the rate of infection but also prevent cervical cancer development in the future. It will be necessary to continue monitoring the prevalence of HPV in the general population to provide basis for intervention through vaccination as well as by promoting healthy behaviors in the target population, policy changes and resource allocation.

Citation Format: Srinivas S. Devarakonda, Amarendra Neppalli, Lihong Liu, Ellen Friday, Runhua Shi. Risk factors and prevalence of genital HPV infection among adult females in US between 2003-2010: Data from NHANES study. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 278. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-278