Stories to Prevent (StoP) HPV Cancers: A Communication Intervention to Increase HPV Vaccination Among Diverse Populations.
Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Summary
This randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluates the association of a narrative communication intervention on human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates among 9- to 12-year-olds. The intervention is a brief video from local cancer survivors narrating their stories with an HPV-related cancer diagnosis and recommending the HPV vaccine for cancer prevention. RCT participants will be the parents (n=200) of children ages 9-12 who have not initiated HPV vaccination. Participants will be randomized (1:1) to our intervention or control (placebo video) one week before their child's next primary care visit. Our primary outcome is HPV vaccine initiation (first dose of the HPV vaccine series) among children ages 9-12 at the time of the wellness visit. The study also explores the effect of narratives on theory-based mediators of HPV vaccination, including parents' cognitive (e.g., risk perception) and emotional reactions (e.g., hope, anticipated regret).
Description
Despite the availability of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine that can prevent over 37,300 HPV-related cancers in the US every year, only 62.6% of girls and boys were up-to-date in 2022. Low-quality provider recommendations and time constraints during clinic visits limit parents' opportunities to discuss and make HPV vaccination decisions. Pre-visit education to parents could complement provider communication to promote HPV vaccination. There is a critical need to identify better communication strategies to increase HPV vaccine uptake, including the use of narrative messaging and existing…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: * Parent/guardian of a 9-12 year old receiving primary care at a Penn State Health clinic * Their child has not previously received or initiated the HPV vaccine * Is able to read and understand spoken English or Spanish * Has a valid email address and access to a mobile phone, table, desktop or laptop computer to engage in the intervention Exclusion Criteria: * Parent of guardian is less than 18 years of age * Unable to read and understand spoken English or Spanish * Does not have access to a mobile phone, table, desktop or laptop computer
Interventions
- OtherCancer survivor narrative
The narrative video intervention has three parts: (1) Cancer experience - the cancer survivor narrates his/her experience with an HPV-related cancer, including diagnosis, treatment, and how cancer affected their personal life or family; (2) Vaccine recommendation - the cancer survivor provides brief information about the safety and effectiveness of the HPV vaccine and recommend that parents get the HPV vaccine for their child to prevent cancers; and (3) Closing message - The sentence "HPV vaccine is cancer prevention. Talk to your child's healthcare provider about getting the HPV vaccine during the next clinic visit" will appear on the screen.
- OtherHealthy eating tips
A publicly available video about healthy eating tips for families with children.
Location
- Penn State HealthHershey, Pennsylvania