HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS (HPV) AND HPV VACCINE AWARENESS AND KNOWLEDGE: AN EXPLORATORY ANALYSES OF THE ROLE OF RACE, ETHNICITY, AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Abstract

Objectives: To (1) characterize determinants of HPV and HPV vaccine awareness and knowledge and receipt of HPV vaccine recommendation from a healthcare provider; (2) explore predictors of social media use related to health; and (3) determine the association between social media use related to health and HPV-related outcomes among a nationally representative population of non-Hispanic African American, Hispanic, Asian American, and non-Hispanic White adults living with children in their household. Methods: Using Health Information National Trends (HINTS) Survey data, multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess the association between sociodemographic, cultural, and healthcare variables and HPV-related outcomes (aim one) and social media outcomes (aim two). For aim three, multivariate logistic regressions were used to examine the effect of social media behaviors on HPV outcomes. Results: For aim one, older age and male gender were associated with lower likelihood of HPV and HPV vaccine awareness, cervical cancer knowledge and being recommended the HPV vaccine. Asian Americans were significantly less likely to be aware of HPV or HPV vaccines compared to non-Hispanic Whites. For aim two, older adults, males, and those without regular provider status were significantly less likely to use social media for health purposes. Non-Hispanic African American (aOR: 2.11; 95%CI: 1.25–3.56), Hispanic (aOR: 2.10; 95%CI: 1.21–3.66), and Asian Americans (aOR: 3.38; 95%CI: 1.28–8.92) were more likely to watch health-related videos on YouTube compared with non-Hispanic whites. For aim three, adults who engaged in one or two social media behaviors had significantly greater odds of HPV awareness compared to non-users. Those who engaged in two, three, or four social media behaviors had significantly greater HPV vaccine awareness compared to non-users. Conclusion: Results demonstrated significant differences across HPV and social media outcomes among adults with children in the household such as men, older adults, and racial/ethnic minorities, which highlight needs and knowledge gaps particularly between those that use social media and those who do not. Findings can inform the development of targeted, culturally tailored strategies on social media to raise HPV awareness among vulnerable groups in order to increase vaccine uptake and mitigate HPV morbidities among high-risk populations.