Prevalence and determinants of human papillomavirus infection in young women from Guanacaste and Puntarenas, Costa Rica, 2004-2005.

Abstract

Objective. To estimate the prevalence and identify the determinants of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in young women (18-25 years). Materials and methods. We analyzed data from 5 871 sexually active women who underwent an interview and cervical swab collection for HPV screening and cytology during the enrollment visit of the HPV16/18 Vaccination Trial in Costa Rica. We calculated the total prevalence for any type of HPV, and oncogenic, nononcogenic and specific types, with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). We used stepwise multiple logistic regression to identify determinants associated with infection. Results. The total prevalence of HPV was 50.0% (95%CI 48.8,51.3) and the prevalence by oncogenic types was 33.8% (95%CI 32.6,35.0). HPV-16 was the most prevalent type (8.3%, 95%CI