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Review
. 2022 Mar 29;12(4):843.
doi: 10.3390/diagnostics12040843.

Human Papillomavirus Infection: Knowledge, Risk Perceptions and Behaviors among SMW and AFAB

Magdalena Piróg  1 , Bartosz Grabski  2 , Robert Jach  1 , Andrzej Zmaczyński  1 , Magdalena Dutsch-Wicherek  3 , Andrzej Wróbel  4 , Klaudia Stangel-Wójcikiewicz  1
Affiliations
Review

Human Papillomavirus Infection: Knowledge, Risk Perceptions and Behaviors among SMW and AFAB

Magdalena Piróg et al. Diagnostics (Basel). .

Abstract

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States, and persistent HPV infection has been established as playing a major role in the development of cervical cancer. Providing HPV vaccination and regular screening tests have reduced the risk of developing cervical cancer or helped to detect the cancer at an early stage. Despite the above measures, cervical cancer still remains a major public health problem worldwide. Infection with HPV, and consequently cervical cancer, affects all people with an intact cervix, so not only heterosexual women, but also women from sexual minorities (SMW) together with people assigned female at birth (AFAB). These populations may be even more likely to develop cervical cancer, mainly because they are less likely to be aware of HPV transmission and prevention of cervical cancer. In our review, we summarized the current state of HPV knowledge, collected data assessing the orientation of this issue among SMW and AFAB, and indicated the causes of possible negligence in the prevention of cervical cancer.

Keywords: HPV; cervical cancer; people assigned female at birth; sexual minority women.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Cervical cancer screening barriers for SMW and AFAB.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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