Background: Although HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States, vaccination rates are still lagging among adolescents and young adults. Entertainment-education is a popular strategy for incorporating educational messages into entertainment media. With popular shows on television now integrating health messages into their narrative, there are more opportunities to influence knowledge, attitude and health behaviors.

Objective: To (a) determine the effectiveness of the HPV narrative included in the “Someone You love” documentary on HPV risk perception, vaccine self-efficacy and behavioral intention for HPV vaccine uptake on college students and (b) assess the immediate impact of the documentary on HPV vaccine initiation.

Methods: A dependent samples t-test was conducted to determine if differences in the scale scores for each variable existed between pre and post viewing. Scale items were measured on a 7-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree to 7 = Strongly Agree) and summed for analyses.

Results: Students (n=126) participated in four screenings. Participants were mostly female (76.5%), freshman (40%), Caucasian (48.3%), heterosexual (81.5%) and sexually active (74.3%). The results showed a positive and significant effect from pre- and post-test scores on Risk Perception 7.150, t(119) = 14.502, p<.001, Self-Efficacy 1.050, t(119) = 1.761, p = .04 and Behavioral Intention 4.775, t(119) = 10.300, p<.001. At the 3-month follow-up, 22% (n=28) initiated the HPV vaccine and indicated that the documentary influenced their decision.

Discussion: With more young adults streaming television on services like Netflix and watching documentary series, public health should explore using persuasive messaging in media as a tailoring strategy to improve health outcomes.