POP-Brazil study protocol: a nationwide cross-sectional evaluation of the prevalence and genotype distribution of human papillomavirus (HPV) in Brazil

Abstract

IntroductionHuman papillomavirus (HPV) is associated with the development of genital warts and different types of cancer, including virtually all cervical cancers and a considerable number of penile, anal and oropharyngeal cancers. Data regarding the prevalence of HPV infection in Brazil are limited and fragmented. We aim to determine HPV prevalence in sexually active women and men aged 16–25 years and to investigate regional differences in virus prevalence and types.Methods and analysisThis is a nationwide, multicentric, cross-sectional, prospective study that will include participants aged 16–25 years from all Brazilian capital cities. Recruitment will occur in primary health units by trained health professionals who will be responsible for collecting biological samples and interviewing the volunteers. After signing informed consent, all participants will answer a questionnaire that will collect sociodemographic and behavioural data. All samples will be processed in a certified central laboratory, and strict quality control will be performed by many different procedures, including double data entry, training and certification of primary care health professionals responsible for data collection, simulation of interviews, and auditing and monitoring of visits. The sample size will be standardised based on the population distribution of each capital using SAS and R statistical software.Ethics and disseminationThe project was approved by the research ethics committee of the main institution and the corresponding ethics committees of the recruitment sites. This will be the first Brazilian nationwide study to determine overall HPV prevalence and to examine regional differences and social, demographic and behavioural factors related to HPV infection. Critical analysis of the study results will contribute to epidemiological knowledge and will set a baseline for future evaluation of the impact of the National HPV Vaccination Program.

Prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in Brazil: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…In view of the lack of proper national evidence regarding the HPV prevalence and databases tracking HPV infection rates, as well as to meet the needs of the Brazilian Ministry of Health, we conclude that is necessary to develop a nationwide study to investigate HPV presence among the Brazilian population. A nationwide HPV prevalence study (POP-Brazil study) with young adults between 16-25 years is in development, and it is predicted that the results of this study will fulfill the lack of epidemiological information detected in this review [173].…”

The contribution of Latin American research to HPV epidemiology and natural history knowledge

“…Similar initiatives for the monitoring of HPV vaccine effectiveness are underway in Brazil. A nationwide HPV prevalence study of women and men from 16 to 25 years of age was recently finalized (87) to set the basis for the prevalence study among individuals after introduction of HPV vaccination in Brazil in 2014.…”

Percepção dos profissionais da Atenção Primária à Saúde como participantes de uma pesquisa nacional sobre HPV: um relato de experiência*

“…This was a descriptive study in the form of an experience report on participation in the POP-Brasil survey -Epidemiological Study of National Prevalence of HPV Infection. 8 POP-Brasil is a multicenter study, commissioned by the Ministry of Health and executed by the Moinhos de Vento Hospital in Porto Alegre (the capital of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul), under the Brazilian National Health System Institutional Development Support Program (PROADI-SUS), 9 with the objective of estimating national prevalence of HPV infection and its types in Brazil and, specifically, in the country's different macro-regions.…”