According to a national study by The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, contrary to some people’s belief, young women receiving recommended vaccinations for the prevention of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and related cancers do not engage in more sexually risky behavior.

Nicole C. Liddon, Ph.D., who led the study, explained the motivation behind the study, but advised against drawing too broad a conclusion from it, saying:

“Because of perceived risk that young women would behave recklessly, parents, providers, policy-makers and other STD opponents raised concerns when the FDA first licensed and approved the HPV vaccine in 2006.

It was clear that we needed to determine whether a relationship existed between being vaccinated against a sexually-transmitted disease and sexual behavior.”

According to the study, there are an estimated 6.2 million new HPV infections each year, making it the most common sexually transmitted disease in the U.S. HPV is associated with various cancers, including cervical and oral cancers.

The study included data from over 1,200 women between the ages of 15 to 24 years. The data was part of the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) and included demographic and insurance information as well as specific information about sexual education, and sexual behaviors. Although it included information on whether or not the women were vaccinated with HPV, it did not list the age at vaccination, meaning that researchers could not determine whether the HPV vaccination was done before or after the women started to be sexually active.

The findings revealed no differences in sexual experience between women who were vaccinated and those who were not. The researchers noted that interestingly, most sexually active vaccinated women between the ages of 15 to 19 tended to report to always using a condom in the past month compared to those who did not receive the vaccine.

Liddon and her team also detected several health disparities; one of them was that young women with health insurance had a greater chance of receiving the first dose of three recommended vaccinations compared with those young women who were uninsured.

The study also showed that women under the age of 19 years had two-times higher chances of receiving the vaccine than older women.

Noel T. Brewer, associate professor of the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, who is also the director of Cervical Cancer-Free NC, a statewide initiative led by UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health, said:

“The study helps us answer a question that has captured the imagination of millions of Americans: Does HPV vaccine cause teen girls to have sex earlier or more often?”

He continued:

“Liddon and her colleagues clearly show that the vaccine does not promote sexual dis-inhibition. These data are only a preliminary answer to the question as they are from a cross-sectional study of girls’ and women’s self-reports of vaccination. However, the study offers us some of the only data on how HPV vaccine affects behavior.”

Liddon concluded, declaring that:

“..the lack of association between vaccination and risky behavior should help assuage concerns between dis-inhibition and the HPV vaccine. At the same time, we stress this isn’t a definitive answer as to whether or not a relationship exists. Further studies are needed to look at possible causality.”

Written by Petra Rattue