Using Facebook to disseminate HPV vaccine information among female college students in Hawaii

Background: This is the first study to explore the potential of using Facebook to reach young people at Hawaii to prevent cervical cancer. Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, this exploratory study investigated comfortableness of sharing HPV vaccine information on Facebook either through chatting (using ones' own words) or forwarding (using existing messages) among female college students at Hawaii.

Methods: Four focus group meetings with 18 female college students between the ages of 18 and 26 were conducted in March, 2011. The recruitment was done by two instructors at two colleges in Hawaii. In addition, recruitment fliers and handouts were displayed on the campus. Notes of the focus group meetings were taken then combined and analyzed by the principle investigator.

Result: Students felt more comfortable with chatting if they knew more about HPV vaccine. They feel more comfortable with forwarding, if they agree with and support the existing HPV vaccine information. In regards to subjective norm, some students mentioned that their friends would not mind chatting about the HPV vaccine information on Facebook. However, some were concerned that their friends may think the messages to be forwarded were spam. Majority of the participants showed confidence in chatting. However, students felt confident with forwarding only if the information is from credible sources.

Conclusion: Future interventions using Facebook to disseminate HPV vaccine information among female Hawaiian college students can target those students with more HPV vaccine knowledge and provide students with HPV vaccine information from credible sources.