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329100
Mass Media's Portrayal of HPV Vaccination among Adolescent Males in Online News Content: A Framing Analysis


Sunday, November 1, 2015

Gabrielle Darville, MPH, CHES, Department of Health Education & Behavior, The University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Whitney Smith
Tanika Vivien, MS, ARNP-FNP, BC, CHES
Rebeccah Mercado, MS, CHES
Charkarra Anderson-Lewis, PhD MPH, Department of Health Education & Behavior, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
  
The intent of this research was to identify how mass media outlets framed stories targeting males and the approved use of vaccinations against the human papillomavirus (HPV). Researchers sought to 1) identify dominant frames used by the media regarding HPV vaccination in males, 2) identify dominant frames used regarding HPV vaccination in females vs. males and 3) and compare the tone of each story as it relates to HPV vaccination in females vs. males. Eighty-four (n=84) online news stories spanning a three-year period (May 2009 – May 2012) were analyzed. This period included the year prior to and the year after the CDC recommended the use of the HPV vaccine for males. Six national news sites (ABC News, The Huffington Post, CNN, The New York Times, Fox News, and The Washington Post) were included in the qualitative framing analysis. Results indicated that 54.7% (n=46) were published in the year following the CDC recommendation, and that 51.2% (n=43) of the stories had a positive lead tone. The three top frames were health benefits, recommendation/mandates and disease process. Nearly all (97.6%) of the sample (n=84)   discussed both sexes, in contrast, none discussed males exclusively.  Health care providers, researchers and public health agencies were most cited (>50%) as sources for the 112 identified quotes. Analysis suggests that for males, the HPV vaccine was framed more positively. Despite health recommendations, news stories predominantly portray HPV and the HPV vaccine primarily as a female issue with negative stigmatization towards morals, religion and premarital sex.

Learning Areas:

Communication and informatics
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
Identify the three most common themes found in the media articles related to males and the HPV vaccine.  Discuss the media's perceived tone about males and the HPV vaccine. Compare the amount of media articles about males and the HPV vaccine that discussed males exclusively, as opposed to both males and females.

Keyword(s): Media, Cancer and Men’s Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a well-rounded health communication professional with federal, state, and community-level experience and a strong ability to translate data into effective, culturally competent communication products. I have served on several multidisciplinary teams focusing on the use of communication information technologies in health education research and practice to include digital games, media, mobile phones (m-health) and the internet (e-health). My scientific interests has been the use of technology to improve health outcomes in underserved populations.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 2074.0: HPV vaccine knowledge, practices, and service delivery