The power and perspective of mommy bloggers: Formative research with social media opinion leaders about HPV vaccination

Abstract

Since the development of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in 2006, significant promotion efforts have targeted adolescent females and their parents in order to reduce the incidence of HPV and related cancers. Yet vaccination rates for pre-adolescents (the recommended age of administration) still lag behind. Social media and social network campaigns hold promise not only for promoting broad awareness but also for influencing vaccination attitudes and behaviors by utilizing opinion leaders for message dissemination. This formative intervention study explored the feasibility of leveraging online 'mommy bloggers' as thought leaders and sources of influence in the promotion of HPV vaccine messages. Findings include insights into vaccine hesitancy amongst mommy bloggers; approaches for discussing HPV vaccination in the blogosphere; and engagement strategies for working with mommy bloggers.