Understanding the role of the news media in HPV vaccine uptake in the United States: Synthesis and commentary

Abstract

Vaccination rates for the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine fall below targets and only 2 states and the District of Columbia require the vaccine for middle school-age children. Messages conveyed through news media-to parents, providers, policymakers, and the general public-may contribute to sluggish vaccination rates and policy action. In this commentary, we review the findings from 13 published studies of news media coverage of the HPV vaccine in the United States since FDA licensure in 2006. We find 2 important themes in news coverage: a rising focus on political controversy and a consistent emphasis on the vaccine as for girls, even beyond the point when the vaccine was recommended for boys. These political and gendered messages have consequences for public understanding of the vaccine. Future research should continue to monitor news media depictions of the HPV vaccine to assess whether political controversy will remain a pronounced theme of coverage or whether the media ultimately depict the vaccine as a routine public health service.

News Narratives About the HPV Vaccine for Adolescent Males

“…However, there has been little media research on how the news has portrayed the HPV vaccine for boys and men. Part of this is because the news coverage of this vaccine itself has been quite gendered, with many news articles on the HPV vaccine still focusing disproportionately on girls and women even as the public health recommendations have expanded (Gollust, LoRusso, Nagler, & Fowler, 2015). The goal of the research here is to fill that gap by using textual analysis to specifically look at United States newspaper coverage of the HPV vaccine as it relates to boys and men.…”

“…The third phase of the news cycle began in 2009 when the HPV vaccine was first approved by the FDA for boys and men (Gollust, LoRusso, Nagler, & Fowler, 2015). This is the phase this research will examine, as there has been little research done on the media representation of the HPV vaccine for boys and men.…”

“…Instead, the articles primarily focused on the fact that the vaccine had the potential to prevent cervical cancer. At that time, articles mostly left out information on how HPV itself is an STI, discussions of morality, or any debate about the overall value or harm of vaccines (Calloway, Jordensen, Saraiya, & Tsui, 2006;Abdelmutti & HoffmanGoetz, 2009;Habel, Liddon, & Stryker, 2009;Kelly, Leader, Mittermaier, et al, 2009;Krieger & Sarge, 2013;Gollust, LoRusso, Nagler, & Fowler, 2015).…”

“…However, there has been little media research on how the news has portrayed the HPV vaccine for boys and men. Part of this is because the news coverage of the vaccine itself has been quite gendered, with most news on the HPV vaccine "focusing mainly, if not exclusively, on girls and women even when the science and public health recommendations had become more expansive" (Gollust, LoRusso, Nagler, & Fowler, 2015). The present research will look at U.S. print news coverage from January 2011 to June 2016 to examine the nature of the coverage.…”

“…During this three-year period when the vaccine was only available for girls and women, there were many news articles written about HPV and the vaccine, creating many gendered news stories about HPV, chiefly that the HPV vaccine is a "cervical cancer vaccine." This angle implies that the virus is a problem only women (both straight women and lesbians) need to worry about, despite the fact that nearly 11,000 men each year are diagnosed with cancers related to HPV -cancers that could have been prevented had these males been vaccinated against the virus (CDC, 2014;Gollust, LoRusso, Nagler, & Fowler, 2015). Further, men who have ever had sex with men (MSM), either by choice or due to assault, are at much greater risk of contracting HPV and developing HPV-related cancers.…”