1 in 39 women (2.6 percent) between 18 and 44 years old mentioned that their doctor had ever told them they had some type of HPV infection.

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IEPR

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29 December 2025

Statistics Institute reveals results of the first Human Papillomavirus (HPV) survey conducted in Puerto Rico

San Juan, PR, January 14, 2017 — The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) today announced the results of the Adult Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Survey 2014 the first survey related to the topic carried out by the Institute itself at the level of the population of adult women in Puerto Rico.

It focused mainly on the responses of women aged 18 to 44, which corresponds to the adult population of reproductive age. In addition, it collects information related to the knowledge of this population on important aspects such as the following: The existence of vaccines, the prevalence of vaccinated women, diagnostic knowledge with a virus infection and the regularity of medical tests for the possible detection of the virus.

Here are the main results:

89.4 percent of the population of women ages 18 to 44 reported having heard about HPV.
93.1 percent of this population recognized that the primary route of HPV transmission is through sexual contact.
65.4 percent of this population knows that there is no cure for HPV.
66.0 percent of the population of women ages 18 to 34 reported having heard about HPV vaccines.
1 in 7 women (14.7 percent) in this population (18 to 34 years old) reported having ever been vaccinated.
Among this vaccinated population, 50.7 percent obtained the three necessary doses of the vaccine.
74.5 percent of the population of women ages 18 to 44 reported having had a Pap smear in the past three years.
1 in 39 women (2.6 percent) between 18 and 44 years old mentioned that their doctor had ever told them they had some type of HPV infection.

The final sample size of interviews was 1,138 households. The response rate of the Adult Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Survey 2014 was 97.4 percent, which is equivalent to 1,108 households. Of these interviews, 665 were conducted on cell phones and 443 on fixed line phones.

HPV is one of the world's most important sexually transmitted infections due to its health implications. However, there was no information on the level of knowledge about HPV and the percentage of vaccination against the virus in the population of adult women living in Puerto Rico and the regularity of medical tests for the possible detection of the virus, among others.

One of the functions of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics is to produce its own statistics to complement existing data. To fulfill this function, in 2014, the Institute conducted the Adult HPV Survey for the adult population of men and women in Puerto Rico. This survey was carried out thanks to the collaboration of the Puerto Rico Department of Health's Behavior-Associated Risk Factor Surveillance System (PR‐BRFSS).

In Puerto Rico, the incidence rate of cervical cancer has been increasing. By 2014, Puerto Rico had an age-adjusted rate of 13.9 per 100,000 women. During the period from 2006 to 2014, the first five municipalities with the highest age-adjusted incidence rate of cervical cancer were Sábana Grande (19.4), Aibonito (19.0), Orocovis (18.8), Santa Isabel (18.7) and Lajas (17.2), according to the Puerto Rico Central Cancer Registry. For 2009, the age-adjusted incidence rate of cervical cancer in Puerto Rico (12.6) surpassed the corresponding rate for the population of Hispanic women in the United States (10.7), a trend that continued through 2014.

“The changes observed in rates over the past few years suggest that it is important to have a greater understanding of HPV and the use of its vaccine in Puerto Rico. This first survey seeks to begin to address this need,” said Dr. Idania R. Rodríguez Ayuso, co-author of the report on the Survey and senior manager of statistical projects at the Institute.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous governmental entity responsible for coordinating the Government's statistical production service to ensure that the data collection and statistics systems, on which public policies are based, are complete, reliable, and have quick and universal access. The IEPR has in its inventory, accessible through www.estadisticas.pr.gov, about 300 statistical products. In addition, it is a custodian and provides access to over 100 data sets or “data sets” through www.data.pr.gov and to over 40 tables and more than 6 thousand indicators through: www.indicadores.pr.

In addition, as the leading entity of the Puerto Rico SDC, the IEPR manages the SDC portal, where you can find the main statistical reports and publications of the U.S. Census Bureau on Puerto Rico, specifically those that are most in demand, such as annual population estimates; the Puerto Rico Community Survey (Puerto Rico Community Survey) and official statistics on Puerto Rico's 10-year population and housing censuses, among others. The Puerto Rico SDC portal can be accessed through: https://censo.estadisticas.pr/.

For more information you can visit our website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov. In addition, you can follow us on social networks through Facebook (estadisticas.pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) accounts.

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Press Contact: Sandra Morales Blanes/ 787-688-0401

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1 in 39 women (2.6 percent) between 18 and 44 years old mentioned that their doctor had ever told them they had some type of HPV infection.

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Statistics Institute and U.S. Census Bureau announce the inclusion of Puerto Rico in migration statistics between counties or municipalities in the United States

Statistics Institute and U.S. Census Bureau announce the inclusion of Puerto Rico in migration statistics between counties or municipalities in the United States

The Institute joins the Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute joins 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, which is an annual international campaign that begins on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and continues until December 10, Human Rights Day.

As part of the PARE Committee, the Institute invites them to access the Committee's educational materials on this topic.

Visit: https://parelaviolencia.pr.gov/

Puerto Rico Statistics Institute and federal entity share ideas to improve the Coach Training Project in the Department of Education.

PRESS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

PUERTO RICO STATISTICS INSTITUTE AND FEDERAL ENTITY SHARE IDEAS TO IMPROVE THE COACH TRAINING PROJECT IN THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

San Juan, Puerto Rico, April 8, 2019 — Dr. Orville M. Disdier, Acting Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics (Institute) participated in the first meetings this year of the Board of Directors of the Regional Educational Laboratory of the North East & Islands (REL‐NEI), an entity subsidized by the Federal Department of Education. Disdier, who has been a member of the Board of Directors of that organization for some years, reported that during the day, initiatives of great importance for the island were discussed, including Puerto Rico Data Coaches Training, an innovative project that is forming Coaches, within the Department of Education.

“This project is of great importance to the Department of Education because it is through these Coaches, barriers are being identified that may be impeding the development of a culture based on data and removing such barriers. During the meetings with REL‐NEI, we discussed options to continue improving this project,” Disdier explained.

The REL‐NEI's main objective is to carry out scientific research and training aimed at supporting education systems based on empirical evidence. The REL‐NEI translates this empirical evidence into public policy proposals and best practices in teaching and learning processes. REL‐NEI is one of 10 Regional Laboratories and is comprised of Puerto Rico, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Vermont.

Other topics that were addressed and discussed at the meetings were the development of the workforce at the preschool level, learning the English language, effective alternatives to traditional graduation processes, reducing chronic absenteeism, and geospatial analysis to understand barriers to teacher recruitment.

“The mission of the institute is not only to coordinate the production service of the statistics produced in Puerto Rico, but also to promote research capacity and unite academics, researchers and public officials to objectively support government management, in this case, the management of Puerto Rico's public education system. As the official institution in Puerto Rico for the promotion of a data culture, at the Institute we are available to provide our full support to these data coaches from the Department of Education,” explained Dr. Disdier.

Although researchers and academics from the Laboratory for Educational Research and Development (WestEd) and the Education Development Center (EDC) direct most of the research and projects, they work as a team and in collaboration with the governments of all the jurisdictions that make up the REL‐NEI. The Puerto Rico Department of Education and the Institute are an integral part of these efforts. During this and the coming years, the results of these investigations will be announced.

For more information about the REL‐NEI you can visit the following address: https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/northeast/. For their part, they can access data and information at the Institute of Statistics through https://estadisticas.pr.gov/.

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Contact: Idia Martínez
Mobile phone: 787-603-3200
Email: imartinez@upfrontpr.net

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La Ley Núm. 209-2003, según enmendada, creó al Instituto de Estadísticas de Puerto Rico como una entidad gubernamental autónoma con la encomienda de coordinar el servicio de producción de estadísticas del Gobierno para asegurar que los sistemas de recopilación de datos y estadísticas, en los que se basan las políticas públicas, estén completos, sean confiables y de acceso rápido y universal.

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