Adolescent behavior and sexually transmitted diseases: the dilemma of human papillomavirus

Adolescence is a period of physical, cognitive, psychosocial, and moral development that often results in risk-taking behavior. As a consequence, adolescents are at high risk for sexually transmitted disease (STD). Two of the most common STDs in the United States, chlamydia and human papillomavirus (HPV), affect millions of adolescent women. HPV, contrasted with chlamydia, poses a unique challenge to health care providers. In addition to causing genital warts, HPV has been shown to be the causative agent in the development of cervical cancer. Interventions that are effective in decreasing the transmission of chlamydia, such as increasing condom use, are less effective in prevention of HPV. Efforts to increase adolescent awareness of HPV, to increase age of first coitus, and to decrease numbers of sexual partners are more effective for HPV prevention. Early screening for HPV, smoking cessation, and health promotion may be effective in decreasing the incidence of cervical cancer in young women. Nurse practitioners and other primary health care providers need a more holistic approach to the prevention of HPV in adolescent women.