More than 3,000 women participated in the 2005 Health Information National Trends Survey. 64 percent of them knew that HPV was sexually transmitted and 79 percent knew it could cause abnormal Pap smears.
Dr. Jasmin A. Tiro, of the National Cancer Institute said this indicates that women are finding out about HPV through experiencing a negative consequence.
She said, "Therefore, one of our main findings is that being aware of HPV does not guarantee accurate knowledge."
The survey found that younger, more educated women with access to health information were more likely to know more about HPV.
The US Food and Drug Administration approved an HPV vaccine in June 2006. The vaccine will protect against high-risk types of HPV. Doctors recommend that women ages 9 to 26 get vaccinated.
Millions of people have been exposed to HPV and in many cases women never notice any symptoms of the virus. But in some cases, the virus can become aggressive and cause cervical cancer.
