HPV Vaccination: Polish-Language Facebook Discourse Analysis

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Social Media Analysis
• Vaccinology

Background:

• Social media platforms are key channels for vaccine information dissemination.
• Understanding online discourse is crucial for public health initiatives.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted public perception of vaccines.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze Polish-language human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination discussions on Facebook.
• To identify key influencers and sentiment patterns in the HPV vaccination discourse.
• To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on HPV vaccination conversations.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative and qualitative analysis of Facebook data.
• Utilized internet monitoring and social media analysis tools.
• Examined discourse characteristics and sentiment trends.

Main Results:

• HPV vaccination discourse with negative sentiment is centralized around specific influential users.
• These key figures generate substantial anti-vaccine content and influence opinions.
• While vaccine debates intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, a clear change in HPV vaccination interest was not definitively observed.

Conclusions:

• Centralized influence of specific users shapes negative HPV vaccination discourse on social media.
• The COVID-19 pandemic's effect on HPV vaccination interest requires further investigation.
• Targeted interventions may be needed to address influential anti-vaccine voices online.