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Background and Objectives: Human papillomavirus is the major etiologic agent of cervical cancer. Although the incidence of cancer of the cervix is high in Jamaica, the prevalence of human papillomavirus among Jamaican women has not been defined. Goal of the Study: To estimate the prevalence of human papillomavirus infection and associated risk factors in women attending an STD clinic in Kingston, Jamaica. Study Design: A cross-sectional survey was done of 202 women attending an STD clinic in Kingston in 1990. Cervical and vaginal cells were collected by lavage, and human papillomavirus genomes were detected in extracted DNA using low-stringency Southern blot hybridization. Results: Fifty-eight (28.7%) women were identified as HPV positive. Prevalence of ITPV by age group was 39% in women 15-19 years old, 33% of women 20-24 years old, 31% in women 25-29 years old, and 17% in those 30 years or older. Increasing age was significantly associated with a lower prevalence of human papillomavirus infection (test for trend, P = 0.025). The effect of age was independent of years of sexual activity. Women reporting more than one sexual partner per month on average were found to have a significantly higher HPV prevalence (odds ratio 2.87, 95% confidence Interval 1.29-6.38), as were women who reported more frequent sex (test for trend, P = 0.006). Conclusions: Sexual behavior is associated with risk of human papillomavirus infection. The decrease of human papillomavirus prevalence in older women agrees with other studies that argue in favor of a biological effect, such as increased immunity to human papillomavirus with age. A better understanding of why immunity to human papillomavirus may develop in older women may provide the basis for developing an effective vaccine to prevent cancer of the cervix., Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection appears to be common among sexually active women in Jamaica. HPV infection is a sexually transmitted disease strongly associated with cervical cancer. Jamaica has a high incidence of cervical cancer. A total of 202 women attending a sexually transmitted disease clinic in Kingston were interviewed and examined. The average age of the women was 26 years and 7 months. Almost 29% of the women (58) tested positive for HPV infection. Thirty-eight percent of the women between 15 and 19 years old tested positive for HPV infection compared with 17% of the women who were 30 years or older. Women who had two or more different sexual partners each month during the past year were significantly more likely to test positive than those who had fewer sexual partners. Women who had a higher frequency of vaginal sex were also more likely to test positive.