Project Details
Description
Cervical cancer, which is caused by Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection of the genitals, is the second most common cancer suffered by female populations worldwide. In Hong Kong, cervical cancer is the cancer with the 10th highest morbidity rate among women. Besides cervical cancer, HPV can also lead to other diseases, such as genital warts and cancers of the vulva, vagina, anus, and oropharynx. Therefore, HPV does not merely affect women alone, but also affects men as well.
HPV vaccination has been clinically recognized as one of the most effective preventive measures against cervical cancer and other HPV-related diseases. Many countries have implemented HPV vaccination programs for their citizens. However, the coverage and acceptance of HPV vaccination among female and male populations has not been satisfactory in some places. In Hong Kong, HPV vaccination is voluntary. Statistics have noted a relatively low vaccine uptake in Western and Asian countries, including Hong Kong. The principal investigator’s previous research on the barriers to receiving HPV vaccination among female university students in Hong Kong and mothers’ worries about vaccinating their daughters shows that there is a need for a socially and culturally responsive communication strategy to enhance Hong Kong women’s and men’s knowledge and motivation to get the HPV vaccination.
The proposed 24-month project will investigate the social and cultural barriers to HPV vaccination, as well as the socially and culturally sensitive agents that are effective in determining HPV vaccination among Hong Kong women and men, which can help public health advocates convince women and men to accept the vaccination as an effective preventive health behavior. Besides personal perceptions, research has shown that social and cultural factors and the social environment have a remarkable influence on people’s motivation to undertake preventive health behaviors. Indeed, both the Social Norms Theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior hold that social norms and significant others influence people’s behavior. However, little has been done to investigate which specific social norms and significant others have the most influence on motivating vaccination against HPV. Understanding these factors is crucial in developing responsive promotion strategies to encourage both women and men to get the HPV vaccination.
To avoid methodology bias and the weaknesses of any single research method, the proposed project will adopt qualitative and experimental approaches. The proposed project will be divided into two parts: Part 1 will use individual semi-structured in-depth interviews to investigate both women’s (including mothers and non-mothers) and men’s (including fathers and non-fathers) perceptions of HPV vaccination in depth, including: (1) knowledge of HPV and perceptions of risk, (2) knowledge and perceptions of the HPV vaccine, (3) incentives and barriers to receiving HPV vaccination, (4) the influence of social norms and significant others on decisions to get the HPV vaccination, (5) perceptions of which ages are suitable for receiving the HPV vaccination, and (6) perceived benefits and negative influences of the HPV vaccination.
The data from the semi-structured in-depth interviews will inform the part 2 study – the design of vaccination promotion messages that will be tested experimentally, basing on the Social Norms Theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior. The experiment will test the sensitivity and responsiveness of different messages designed to suit the Hong Kong cultural context.
The findings of the two research approaches—namely semi-structured in-depth interviews and experiments—will combine and complement each other to ultimately produce effective communication strategies to enhance both women’s and men’s motivation and action to have the HPV vaccine uptake. A user-responsive and persuasive HPV vaccination promotion communication strategies that can be applied in Hong Kong context are to be obtained with higher confidence, with the aim to reduce the disease burden of HPV-associated diseases to Hong Kong society.
HPV vaccination has been clinically recognized as one of the most effective preventive measures against cervical cancer and other HPV-related diseases. Many countries have implemented HPV vaccination programs for their citizens. However, the coverage and acceptance of HPV vaccination among female and male populations has not been satisfactory in some places. In Hong Kong, HPV vaccination is voluntary. Statistics have noted a relatively low vaccine uptake in Western and Asian countries, including Hong Kong. The principal investigator’s previous research on the barriers to receiving HPV vaccination among female university students in Hong Kong and mothers’ worries about vaccinating their daughters shows that there is a need for a socially and culturally responsive communication strategy to enhance Hong Kong women’s and men’s knowledge and motivation to get the HPV vaccination.
The proposed 24-month project will investigate the social and cultural barriers to HPV vaccination, as well as the socially and culturally sensitive agents that are effective in determining HPV vaccination among Hong Kong women and men, which can help public health advocates convince women and men to accept the vaccination as an effective preventive health behavior. Besides personal perceptions, research has shown that social and cultural factors and the social environment have a remarkable influence on people’s motivation to undertake preventive health behaviors. Indeed, both the Social Norms Theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior hold that social norms and significant others influence people’s behavior. However, little has been done to investigate which specific social norms and significant others have the most influence on motivating vaccination against HPV. Understanding these factors is crucial in developing responsive promotion strategies to encourage both women and men to get the HPV vaccination.
To avoid methodology bias and the weaknesses of any single research method, the proposed project will adopt qualitative and experimental approaches. The proposed project will be divided into two parts: Part 1 will use individual semi-structured in-depth interviews to investigate both women’s (including mothers and non-mothers) and men’s (including fathers and non-fathers) perceptions of HPV vaccination in depth, including: (1) knowledge of HPV and perceptions of risk, (2) knowledge and perceptions of the HPV vaccine, (3) incentives and barriers to receiving HPV vaccination, (4) the influence of social norms and significant others on decisions to get the HPV vaccination, (5) perceptions of which ages are suitable for receiving the HPV vaccination, and (6) perceived benefits and negative influences of the HPV vaccination.
The data from the semi-structured in-depth interviews will inform the part 2 study – the design of vaccination promotion messages that will be tested experimentally, basing on the Social Norms Theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior. The experiment will test the sensitivity and responsiveness of different messages designed to suit the Hong Kong cultural context.
The findings of the two research approaches—namely semi-structured in-depth interviews and experiments—will combine and complement each other to ultimately produce effective communication strategies to enhance both women’s and men’s motivation and action to have the HPV vaccine uptake. A user-responsive and persuasive HPV vaccination promotion communication strategies that can be applied in Hong Kong context are to be obtained with higher confidence, with the aim to reduce the disease burden of HPV-associated diseases to Hong Kong society.
| Status | Not started |
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