Does Knowing about an HPV Infection Influence Behavior Change? A Feasibility Study of Females Attending a Teen Clinic

Objective: To test the feasibility of a brief, clinic-based, behavioral intervention designed to foster the adoption of three protective behaviors among adolescent females testing positive for any of 13 oncogenic strains of HPV. This feasibility study also included non-statistical comparisons of risk behaviors assessed at follow-up. Design: A non-randomized clinical trial. Participants: Twenty-eight sexually active, 17-23-year-old females were recruited from a hospital-based adolescent medicine clinic. Intervention: Adolescents testing positive for HPV received a physician-delivered intervention designed to emphasize the association of high-risk HPV with cervical cancer and to promote protective behaviors. Those testing negative for HPV did not receive intervention. Main Outcome Measure: Several indicators were used including sexual risk behaviors, intent for subsequent Pap testing, intent to quit smoking, and intent to be vaccinated against HPV. Results: Those testing positive (39.3%) received the intervention. Recruitment and retention rates were high. In comparing the two groups after a 30-day follow-up period, modest differences, favoring the intervention, were observed. At follow-up, teens testing positive reported lower levels of risk taking behavior, greater intent to return for next Pap testing, greater intent to quit smoking (if applicable), and greater intent to be vaccinated against HPV. Conclusion: Overall, the findings suggest that a larger study is indeed feasible and may produce meaningful differences between groups. Although the source (i.e., testing positive vs. the receipt of intervention) of these differences cannot be determined, findings suggests that further investigation of a testing/behavioral intervention regarding HPV and cervical cancer prevention for adolescent females may be warranted.