Pressroom

Source: WebMD

By: Boyles, Salynn

12/13/2011

A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine indicates that vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV) does not necessarily promote sexually risky behavior in young women. Researchers led by Nicole Liddon, research scientist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Adolescent and School Health, analyzed the survey responses from more than 1,200 women ages 15 to 24 in 2007 and 2008, when the first HPV vaccine became available. The survey indicates that 30 percent of teens and only 15 percent of women in their early 20s started the three-dose vaccine series, which Liddon attributes to an early focus on vaccinating teens, and that young women with health insurance were more likely to be vaccinated. The study shows that among those who were sexually active, young women who started the three-dose vaccine series were more likely to have protected sex, with researchers noting that those concerned about safe sex may be more likely to receive the vaccine.