HPV vaccine 'does not lead to risky sexual behavior in teens'

Some parents might worry that the human papillomavirus vaccine could lead to more sex or more unsafe sex in teenagers and young people. However, a new study conducted by the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Ohio and published in the Pediatrics journal finds that these concerns are unwarranted.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs). In the US, HPV affects 7.5 million teenage girls and young women between the ages of 14 and 24. Although HPV can cause cervical cancer and other genital cancers, vaccines are available to treat 70% of these.

Currently, the US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that women should be vaccinated between the ages of 11 and 26, men should be vaccinated between the ages of 11 and 21, and that men who are at high risk should be vaccinated between 22 and 26.

Concern over the vaccine leading to more risky sexual behavior may have led to an increase in the vaccination of adolescents. Between 2010 and 2012, vaccination of 13- to 17-year-old girls increased from about 49% to 54%.

In the new study, the researchers asked 300 teenage girls and young women between the ages of 13 and 21 to complete a questionnaire immediately after being given the HPV vaccine. Follow-up surveys were conducted 2 and 6 months later.