Promoting HPV Vaccination in College Students Through Educational Video: Results from a Randomized Trial

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a leading cause of several cancers, yet HPV vaccination rates among U.S. young adults remain low. This study evaluated the effect of a brief educational video, co-developed with college students, in increasing HPV vaccination intention among unvaccinated college-aged individuals.

A two-group randomized controlled trial was conducted among 215 college students aged 18-26 who had not received the HPV vaccine. Participants were randomly assigned to two interventions: a video group (n = 111) or a leaflet group that viewed a CDC-based educational sheet (n = 104). Pre- and post-intervention surveys assessed HPV knowledge, perceived risk, facilitators and barriers to vaccination, cultural beliefs, and vaccination intention. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, Wilcoxon Signed-Rank, and Mann-Whitney U tests.

At baseline, approximately 56% of the sample (n = 215; mean age = 23.5, 71.2% male) have learned about HPV in the past. Although both groups improved in HPV knowledge, perceived lower risk, and cultural beliefs, between-group differences in these theoretical mediators were not statistically significant. Vaccination intention (those who responded "Yes" or "Maybe") increased by 10.8% in the video group but decreased by 11.6% in the leaflet group following the intervention; the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (p = 0.03).

A brief, participatory, and theory-based video significantly increased HPV vaccination intent among unvaccinated college students. Compared to the leaflet intervention, the video intervention offers a promising and scalable public health strategy for promoting HPV vaccination in this high-risk population.