Canada has licensed a human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine for adolescent females, with the goal of decreasing the incidence of HPV infection and associated cervical cancer. This study identifies the juvenile detainee population as a high-risk group for HPV infection and therefore an important target for primary prevention.

A retrospective chart review.

Sundance Juvenile Detention Center, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Female detainees admitted between 2003 and 2006.

Papanicolaou (Pap) test results, sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates, and associated risk factors were collected from 119 charts.

Of 57 recorded Pap smears, 46 (80.7%) were normal, 5 (8.8%) were reported as atypical squamous cells of unknown significance, and 6 (10.5%) were reported as low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion. Of the women tested, 4% were positive for gonorrhea, 10% for chlamydia, 32% for bacterial vaginosis, and 5% for trichomonas; none were positive for syphilis. Of the girls, (91) (77%) had negative HIV and hepatitis B tests, two girls were hepatitis-C–positive, three had clinical evidence of genital herpes, and one showed evidence of pelvic inflammatory disease. There were 75 (63%) girls who reported sexual activity; 87% of them used contraception or protection of some kind, albeit inconsistently. Of these young females, 12 (10%) had engaged in prostitution and 13 (11%) had allegedly been raped or sexually assaulted.

Female juvenile detainees in Kingston, Ontario, have higher rates of STIs, associated risk factors, and abnormal Pap tests than the general female adolescent population. This new information confirms that this population is at risk for HPV infection and subsequent cervical cancer.