Designing and Implementing an Educational Social Media Campaign to Increase HPV Vaccine Awareness among Men on a Large College Campus

Background: The human papillomavirus (HPV) causes an estimated 11,600 males to contract HPV-associated cancers in the U.S. every year. Purpose: We describe the generalized results of a social media marketing campaign. The aim was to identify predictors of self-reported HPV vaccine uptake and target these predictors in a health education campaign for males on a large college campus. Methods: We conducted an observational cohort study that recorded surveys from 90 college males then analyzed these results to inform the implementation of a campus-wide social media campaign. The survey had good internal consistency (α = 0.83) and assessed the Health Belief Model and Theory of Planned Behavior. Results: The campaign reached an estimated 2,200 students with in-person presentations, 12,000 students with two student newspaper articles, and over 17,000 views of its three-part social media video series, which was shared 197 times by students and organizations at the university. After the campaign, our cohort survey demonstrated three of five health beliefs targeted had significantly improved: perceived susceptibility (p < .01), perceived severity (p < .05), and self-efficacy (p < .01). Discussion: Our study reports the generalized findings of an evidence-based, reproducible approach to implementing an educational campaign on a college campus. Translation to Health: Education Practice: This model for social media marketing and student engagement can be replicated by other university health centers for education of males about vaccines and other chronic diseases.