Abstract
Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination prevents 6 HPV-related cancers in men and women. Yet, rates of HPV vaccination among adolescents in the United States lag behind other developed nations, revealing a significant public health issue. This feasibility study tested a collaborative online learning environment to cultivate HPV vaccination champions. A 3-month training program recruited parents to serve as proponents and social media influencers to identify solutions to overcome barriers to HPV vaccination. A mixed methods study design included a pretest survey, three online asynchronous focus groups, a posttest survey, as well as a longitudinal follow-up survey at 6 months. Participants included 22 parents who self-identified as female (95.4%) and white (90.9%). Overall, there was a statistically significant difference in knowledge of HPV and HPV vaccination between pretest and posttest (p = 0.0042). This technology-mediated intervention increased parents' confidence and motivated them to speak more freely about HPV vaccination in-person and online with others in their social networks. Participants identified prevalent misinformation about HPV vaccination and learned how to effectively craft messages to address concerns related to safety and side effects, gender, understanding of risk, and sexual activity. Objective measures and qualitative open-ended assessment showed high intervention engagement and treatment satisfaction. All participants (100%) indicated that they enjoyed participating in the intervention. The effectiveness of this feasibility study suggests that social media is an appropriate platform to empower parents to counter vaccine hesitancy and misinformation through HPV vaccination information that is simple and shareable in-person and online.
Highlights
The human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most prevalent sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States, with 79 million Americans currently infected with the virus [1]
In line with our formative audience research, this study identified misinformation related to gender, understanding of risk, and sexual activity as barriers to Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination [31, 32]
This study offers an innovative approach to effectively address the spread of rumors about HPV vaccination on social media [43]
Summary
The human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most prevalent sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States, with 79 million Americans currently infected with the virus [1]. The majority of sexually active men and women in the U.S will be infected with HPV during their lifetime, and 14 million Americans become infected each year [1]. HPV infection is linked to six different types of cancer and is estimated to cause more than 90% of cervical and anal cancers; 70% of vaginal, vulvar, and oropharyngeal cancers; and 60% of penile cancers. HPV is estimated to cause ∼35,900 of the 45,300 new cases of HPV-associated cancer found in women and men [2]. In South Carolina, more than 580 new cases of HPV-related cancers are diagnosed each year [3]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
