Male human papillomavirus prevalence and association with condom use in Brazil, Mexico, and the United States.

BACKGROUND: Reported associations of condom use and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection have been inconsistent. We investigated self-reported frequency of condom use and detection of genital HPV among men.

METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted in men aged 18-70 years from Brazil, Mexico, and the United States. Men completed questionnaires on sexual history, condom use, and sociodemographic characteristics. Among 2621 men reporting recent vaginal sex, prevalence of any HPV, any oncogenic type, and nononcogenic types only was estimated by frequency of condom use ("always" or "not always"). Multivariable models were used to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) for HPV according to frequency of condom use.

RESULTS: The prevalence of any HPV was 70.5%; any oncogenic type, 34%, and nononcogenic types only, 22.2%. The adjusted PR for always vs not always using condoms was 0.87 (95% confidence interval [CI], .77-.97) for all countries combined. The association was stronger in the United States (PR, 0.70; CI, .55-.90) than in Brazil (PR, 0.84; CI, .71-1.01) or Mexico (PR, 1.05; CI, .89-1.25) (P for interaction = .025).

CONCLUSIONS: HPV prevalence was high even among those who reported always using condoms, and its associations with always using condoms varied among countries.