Effects of a Narrative HPV Vaccination Intervention Aimed at Reaching College Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This longitudinal study reports on the development and evaluation of a narrative intervention aimed at increasing human papillomavirus
(HPV) vaccination among college women. The prevention of HPV is a public health priority due to its pervasiveness and relationship
to cervical cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide. Pilot work utilizing culture-centric
narrative theory guided development of the intervention content. Exemplification theory led to hypotheses comparing communication
sources of the narrative messages (peer only, medical expert only, or a combination of the two source types) in a four-arm
randomized controlled trial (N = 404; 18–26 year olds). The combined peer-expert narrative intervention nearly doubled vaccination compared to controls
(22% vs. 12%). The pragmatic goal of increasing HPV vaccination and the theoretical predictions about message source were
supported. As predicted, the inclusion of peer and medical expert sources plays a critical role in promoting HPV vaccination
among college women. Furthermore, the intervention increased HPV vaccination by increasing vaccine self-efficacy and intent.
Theoretical and practical implications for designing effective HPV vaccine messages are discussed.