Use of social media and its influence on HPV vaccine hesitancy: US National Online Survey of mothers of adolescents, 2023

Abstract

Purpose: Explore mothers of adolescents' use of social media and the influence of social media on hesitancy regarding HPV vaccine.

Methods: A national online survey of mothers of adolescents aged 9-17 years was conducted in August 2023, with participants recruited from an online research panel of US residents. The study examined socio-demographic factors, social media use patterns, and influence of social media and their association with HPV vaccine hesitancy.

Results: Survey sample included 3968 mothers of adolescents. Specifically among the social media variables, multivariable analysis revealed that Facebook influence was negatively associated with HPV vaccine hesitancy (β = -0.016, 95 % confidence interval [CI] = (-0.029, -0.003), p = 0.019), while uncertainty about social media messages (veracity) (β = 0.067, 95 % CI = (0.021, 0.113), p = 0.004) were associated with increased vaccine hesitancy. No significant associations were found with the number of daily-used social media platforms or influence from other platforms.

Discussion: Our findings highlight the impact of uncertainty about social media messages and its effect on parents' HPV vaccine hesitancy. Our findings also highlight the potential role of health care providers in reducing vaccine hesitancy during clinical encounters. Future research is needed to better understand the elements (content, approach, platforms) of effective social media communication interventions to decrease vaccine hesitancy and improve HPV vaccination rates among adolescents in the US.

Keywords: Adolescent vaccination; Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Social media; Vaccine hesitancy.