NEWS RELEASE

[FOR EMBARGOED RELEASE Wednesday, April 7]
Contact: Yuzo Arima, yuzoa@u.washington.edu, 206-616-9740

Disclosure of Genital HPV Infection to Female Sex Partners by Young Men

SEATTLE, WA - Sexually active young men who disclosed their high-risk human papilloma virus (HR HPV) infection to their female sex partners were more likely to discuss Pap smears and/or the HPV vaccine with their partners and also less likely to experience a negative relationship change than those who did not disclose their HR HPV infection status to their partners, according to a study from the University of Washington School of Public Health. The study’s main outcomes will be presented at the Society of Behavioral Medicine’s Annual Meeting in Seattle early April 2010.

Infection with genital HR HPV causes cervical cancer, the second most prevalent cancer among women worldwide, and population-based approaches to prevention of HPV infection and cervical cancer include promotion of behavioral risk-reduction strategies in both sexes. Recent data suggest men are undergoing HPV testing in clinical settings, but little is known about whether men who are diagnosed with HR HPV infection discuss their infections with their female sex partners.

Yuzo Arima, M.P.H., PhD candidate in the Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington School of Public Health, will present data on Thursday, April 8 showing that disclosure of HR HPV infection was associated with discussion of Pap smears and/or the HPV vaccine and that such disclosure did not negatively affect a relationship. The study, titled, “Disclosure of Genital HPV Infection to Female Sex Partners by Young Men,” is the first study to examine the impact of disclosing HR HPV infection by young men to their female sex partners. The study was conducted as a confidential online survey administered to 81 HR HPV positive male undergraduate students. While partner disclosure is recommended for other sexually transmitted infections (STI’s), HPV disclosure has not been recommended as the risks and benefits of HPV disclosure are largely unknown.

“Promoting behavioral risk-reduction strategies has been raised as part of a comprehensive, population-based approach to reduce HPV infections, the most common STI. While testing for HPV infection in men is considered “off-label” use by the Food and Drug Administration, there is evidence that it is occurring in clinical settings, and the recent increase in public awareness of HPV may lead to an increase in such practice,” said Mr. Arima. “However, there is currently very little understanding of how men who find out about their HPV infection status are communicating this knowledge to their female sex partners. Such disclosure could, for example, lead to an uptake of the HPV vaccine in an unimmunized female partner and reduce her likelihood of HPV acquisition in the future. Alternatively, disclosure may encourage the female partner to obtain a recommended routine Pap test who may otherwise have not done so. On the other hand, such disclosure may also have negative impacts on a relationship, and thus it is important to assess both positive and potentially negative outcomes of disclosure. It was encouraging to find that disclosure was associated with a significant increase in discussion of Pap smears and/or the HPV vaccine and a significantly lower likelihood of experiencing a negative relationship change, compared to those who did not disclose their HR HPV infection.”

Investigators recruited 81 male college students positive for HR HPV infection at a University of Washington health clinic, from 2008 through 2010. The subjects were participants in an ongoing longitudinal study of HPV infection in men, visiting the clinic every 4 months for genital sampling and testing for HPV. Men who tested positive for a new HR HPV infection were notified by the study clinician, and asked to participate in a survey at their following clinic visit.

Co-authors of the study include Laura A. Koutsky, Ph.D., professor of epidemiology and principle investigator of the study, Rachel L. Winer, Ph.D., assistant professor of epidemiology, Qinghua Feng, Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology, James P. Hughes, Ph.D., professor of biostatistics, Michael E. Stern, HPV research clinician of epidemiology, Sandra F. O’Reilly, study coordinator of epidemiology, and Nancy B. Kiviat, professor of pathology, all of the University of Washington.

Mr. Arima and the study are supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health.

The Society of Behavioral Medicine is a multidisciplinary organization of clinicians, educators and scientists dedicated to promoting the study of the interactions of behavior with biology and the environment and the application of that knowledge to improve the health and well being of individuals, families, communities and populations.
www.sbm.org

Editor’s notes:
This study was presented during the 2010 Annual Meeting and Scientific Session of the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) from April 7-10 in Seattle, Washington. However, it does not necessarily reflect the policies or the opinion of the SBM.

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