The HPV Vaccine Post-Licensure: Have Online News Stories Changed Over Time? a Follow-up Study

Background:
It has been reported that the framing of information in news media can affect vaccine coverage and uptake. In an effort to understand how the media is depicting the vaccine, this research sought to explore the online media frames of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine-related news over time.

Objectives:
The purpose of this study was to determine if the content of online news stories about the HPV vaccine has changed since its June 2006 licensure.

Methods:
A content analysis of online news stories identified 250 news articles on the HPV vaccine between June 2006 and September 2006 (Time 1) and another 174 between November 2007 and March 2008 (Time 2).

Results:
More than half (70.1%) of the news articles were framed as neutral toward the HPV vaccine. Sixty-six percent of articles labeled the vaccine as a HPV vaccine or by the brand name, Gardasil. Affordability issues and side effects around the vaccine were the most cited social concerns (30.5%, 36.1%). Mention of other adolescent vaccines and continued pap smears were mentioned less frequently. Bivariate analyses revealed statistically significant differences; over time the vaccine was more likely to be framed neutrally (p<.001) and called “HPV vaccine” or “Gardasil” (p<.05) as compared to “cervical cancer vaccine”. Information on safety issues and adverse events increased over time (p<.001), whereas the importance of continued pap smears, the possibility of increased sexual risk behavior, and vaccine affordability issues decreased (p<.001).

Conclusions:
Over time, vaccine information has remained balanced with a change in some public issues and concerns. Analyses of online media coverage of the vaccine reveal missed opportunities for communicating important health information. Widespread interest in the HPV vaccine could be used to bolster awareness of other recommended adolescent vaccines, which were rarely mentioned in online news stories, as well as open communication lines about future STI vaccines.