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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2022 Nov 24;24(11):e37559.
doi: 10.2196/37559.

Countering Antivax Misinformation via Social Media: Message-Testing Randomized Experiment for Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Uptake

Sunny Jung Kim  1   2 , Jenna E Schiffelbein  3 , Inger Imset  3   4 , Ardis L Olson  3   4   5
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Countering Antivax Misinformation via Social Media: Message-Testing Randomized Experiment for Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Uptake

Sunny Jung Kim et al. J Med Internet Res. .

Abstract

Background: Suboptimal adolescent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates have been attributed to parental perceptions of the HPV vaccine. The internet has been cited as a setting where misinformation and controversy about HPV vaccination have been amplified.

Objective: We aimed to test message effectiveness in changing parents' attitudes and behavioral intentions toward HPV vaccination.

Methods: We conducted a web-based message-testing experiment with 6 control messages and 25 experimental messages and 5 from each of the 5 salient themes about HPV vaccination (theme 1: safety, side effects, risk, and ingredient concerns and long-term or major adverse events; theme 2: distrust of the health care system; theme 3: HPV vaccine effectiveness concerns; theme 4: connection to sexual activity; and theme 5: misinformation about HPV or HPV vaccine). Themes were identified from previous web-based focus group research with parents, and specific messages were developed by the study team using content from credible scientific sources. Through an iterative process of message development, the messages were crafted to be appropriate for presentation on a social media platform. Among the 1713 participants recruited via social media and crowdsourcing sites, 1043 eligible parents completed a pretest survey questionnaire. Participants were then randomly assigned to 1 of the 31 messages and asked to complete a posttest survey questionnaire that assessed attitudes toward the vaccine and perceived effectiveness of the viewed message. A subgroup of participants (189/995, 19%) with unvaccinated children aged 9 to 14 years was also assessed for their behavioral intention to vaccinate their children against HPV.

Results: Parents in the experimental group had increased positive attitudes toward HPV vaccination compared with those in the control group (t969=3.03, P=.003), which was associated with increased intention to vaccinate among parents of unvaccinated children aged 9 to 14 years (r=1.14, P=.05). At the thematic level, we identified 4 themes (themes 2-5) that were relatively effective in increasing behavioral intentions by positively influencing attitudes toward the HPV vaccine (χ25=5.97, P=.31, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA]=0.014, comparative fit index [CFI]=0.91, standardized root mean square residual [SRMR]=0.031). On the message level, messages that provided scientific evidence from government-related sources (eg, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and corrected misinformation (eg, "vaccines like the HPV vaccine are simply a way for pharmaceutical companies to make money. That isn't true") were effective in forming positive perceptions toward the HPV vaccination messages.

Conclusions: Evidence-based messages directly countering misinformation and promoting HPV vaccination in social media environments can positively influence parents' attitudes and behavioral intentions to vaccinate their children against HPV.

Keywords: HPV; HPV vaccine; human papillomavirus; misinformation; social media; vaccine communication; vaccine hesitancy.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) diagram showing the flow of participants through pre-post message-testing experiment.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Thematic-level path analysis. HPV: human papillomavirus.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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