Partnering with social media influencers to promote HPV vaccination in diverse communities

While human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is one of the most effective ways to prevent HPV-related cancers, many children and adolescents remain unvaccinated. Resistance often stems from parental vaccine hesitancy and mistrust of the health care system, both of which may be higher in communities of color. Partnering with social media influencers may be an effective method for disseminating health messages. We tested the impact of HPV social media posts developed by influencers on outcomes of knowledge, attitudes, and intentions to vaccinate.

Ten social media influencers who identified as African American or Hispanic created posts about the HPV vaccine. Next, influencers recruited followers to complete a baseline survey, view the post, and complete an endpoint survey. We measured changes in knowledge, attitudes, and intentions to vaccinate their children against HPV. We also captured trust in the influencer and perceptions of the post. Mean scores or frequencies were calculated; changes from baseline to endpoint were assessed with repeated measures t-tests.

Of ten social media influencers, four were African American and six were Hispanic; all were female and eight were married. Seven influencers indicated Instagram as their preferred platform; seven posted daily. The influencers recruited 134 followers (86 % female, 56 % non-Hispanic Black, 24 % Hispanic) who, on average, had been following their influencer for 1 to 3 years. We observed significant increases in knowledge of HPV and the vaccine (p < 0.001), attitudes towards vaccinating against HPV (p < 0.001), and intentions to vaccinate (p < 0.001) after viewing a post created by an influencer.

As public health professionals struggle to reach key audiences, social media influencers may be powerful opinion leaders, especially where mistrust of traditional institutions is high.