2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo

Home Events & Meetings Annual Meeting Schedule & Program

Recorded Annual Meeting Presentations (RAMP) are now available for purchase.
Only $90 for presenters, $140 for registered attendees and $200 for non-attendees.

Online Program

335768
Association between obesity and high-risk human papillomavirus infection among women in the United States, 2009-2010


Tuesday, November 3, 2015 : 1:30 p.m. - 1:50 p.m.

Diamond Hanson, MPH, Master of Public Health Department, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
Alex E. Crosby, MD, MPH, Division of Violence Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Lee Caplan, MD, PhD, MPH, Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
Ijeoma Azonobi, MD, MPH, Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
background: Obesity may increase the risk of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV), especially among certain racial/ethnic groups.  The purpose of this study is to evaluate this association and to assess whether race/ethnicity modifies this relationship.

methods: Non-pregnant women ages 18-59 (n=1,921) who participated in the 2009-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were studied.  HPV status was determined by self-collected vaginal specimens.  Obesity was defined as body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2or waist circumference ≥ 88cm. 

results: Compared to normal-weight women, obese women were significantly more likely to be non-Hispanic black, 41-50 years old, have an education of high school grad or less, have an annual household income ≤$24,999, and be HSV2 seropositive (p<.0001).  Women with HR-HPV were significantly more likely to be non-Hispanic black, 18-30 years old, have a lower education level, have an annual household income ≤$24,999, be HSV2 seropositive, have a history of risky sexual behaviors and sexually transmitted disease, and, smoke cigarettes compared to women who were negative for HR-HPV (p<.0001).  There was no significant relationship between obesity and HR-HPV infection, except among Mexican Americans for which class I obesity (OR: .352; 95% CI: .177-.699) and having a waist circumference ≥88cm (OR: .600; 95% CI .367-.980) were protective factors against HR-HPV. 

discussion/conclusions: This study suggests that there is only an association between obesity and HR-HPV among Mexican Americans.  Further research is needed to determine if using other measures of adiposity, such as body fat percentage, may better examine obesity within other minority populations.

Learning Areas:

Public health or related education
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Assess whether there is a relationship between obesity and high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection. Assess the relationship between obesity and HR-HPV infection, when stratified by race/ethnicity. Identify whether other measures of obesity (i.e. weight and waist circumference) are associated with HR-HPV, when stratified by race/ethnicity.

Keyword(s): Obesity, STDs/STI

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a Master of Public Health Candidate at Morehouse School of Medicine who has studied in the area of women's health for six years. Additionally, I have developed a vigorous interest in STDs/STIs and have worked in this area specifically with at-risk youth throughout the country. Furthermore, I have presented at the Howard University Research Symposium in Washington, D.C. This interest has allowed me to become the principal investigator of this current research study.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4259.0: Weighing the options: The role of race, gender and age in the obesity epidemic (a collaborative session between the Women's Caucus and Men's Health Caucus)