Who knows best? Health risks and digital media engagement in Discourses relating to human papillomavirus vaccination.

Abstract

In Denmark, parents have needed to deal with inconsistent presentations of risk regarding the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. This has complicated the parents' task of making a decision about having their daughters vaccinated. In this article, I analyse how Danish parents engage with digital media when making this decision. The results are based on interviews with 18 Danish parents of girls aged 10-13years old. In my analysis of the interviews, I found that parents align with one of two Discourses when engaging with digital media in relation to HPV vaccination: one centralised and one decentralised. In the centralised Discourse, parents leave it up to other actors such as health authorities to manage the risks of vaccination, thus limiting the experienced need to engage with digital media; in the decentralised Discourse, however, parents themselves assess potential risks, thereby increasing the need to engage with digital media. As a result, I discuss why some parents can consider it necessary to struggle to engage in literacies when making decisions about complex health topics, even when there are clear government recommendations.