Preventing cancer by improving HPV vaccination rates – one champion at a time

March 14, 2022
The HPV vaccine helps to prevent six HPV-related cancers in men and women.
The HPV vaccine helps to prevent six HPV-related cancers in men and women. Photo provided

A shot to prevent cancer – that’s how Beth Sundstrom, Ph.D., approaches the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. Sundstrom, a professor and the director of the Women’s Health Research Team at the College of Charleston, is a faculty affiliate with MUSC Hollings Cancer Center and works to raise HPV vaccination rates and awareness.

In 2021, Hollings introduced its new Community Health Van, which travels to medically underserved communities in South Carolina to increase the HPV vaccination rate. This month, the van traveled to Cherokee County, South Carolina, to partner with the Cherokee County School District to provide HPV vaccines to a rural population lagging behind the state vaccination average. The vaccine is a critical part of Hollings’ mission to prevent cancer. HPV is associated with six types of cancers in men and women.

Sundstrom and others decided to turn to social media in order to increase awareness and acceptance of the HPV vaccine. They launched an annual ten-week statewide social media campaign called HPV Vaccination NOW, strategically planned during the summer, to increase vaccination during back-to-school doctor appointments.

Beth Sundstrom 
Beth Sundstrom, Ph.D.

“Over the course of summer 2021, our campaign reached over 300,000 individuals,” Sundstrom said. “We want to let people know the truth about the HPV vaccine and how it can help to prevent six HPV-related cancers in both men and women, including cancers of the cervix, vagina, vulva, penis, anus and head and neck cancers.”

Sundstrom said the social media campaigns were effective but also a bit surprising. “One of the things parents mentioned a lot was that they felt they lacked the confidence or skills to respond to questions about the HPV vaccine when it came to their own social media networks or in everyday conversations.”

That finding was the catalyst for a study examining a technology-mediated intervention for parents, which was published in Frontiers in Digital Health in February 2021 and led by Sundstrom and Marvella Ford, Ph.D., Hollings’ associate director of Population Sciences and Cancer Disparities. The study featured 22 parents who were open to becoming champions of the HPV vaccine. Participants took part in a three-month study where they examined prevalent HPV misinformation and learned how to craft messages effectively to address common concerns.

“Our work is based on about a decade of formative audience research, listening to the needs and concerns of parents in South Carolina,” Sundstrom said. “We continue to see misinformation about the HPV vaccine relating to safety and side effects. By taking part in this study, participants became more comfortable successfully dispelling misinformation using evidence-based communication techniques.”

Ford knows firsthand how important it is to partner with communities and cultivate champions for a cause. In February, she and Cherokee County school officials helped to plan and execute a town hall event ahead of the Cherokee County vaccination drive to address concerns parents and students have about the HPV vaccine.

Marvella Ford 
Marvella Ford, Ph.D.

“It is important to learn more about community members’ perceptions and thoughts about the HPV vaccine and to incorporate this information into social media messaging to encourage the uptake of the vaccine,” Ford said.

Ford said they plan to do town halls ahead of future events to address concerns and raise awareness about the vaccine. “We will also have a community health educator on the van who will work one-on-one with community members to listen to their concerns around the vaccine and provide them with timely and accurate HPV vaccination information to address those concerns.”

Sundstrom said vaccine hesitancy was exacerbated by the COVID-19 vaccine. “There is a lot of targeted misinformation and disinformation about vaccines on social media,” she said. “That’s why health communication campaigns, social media posts and our vaccine champions program is so important. We need to counter misinformation with truth.”

Sundstrom said most parents in South Carolina choose the HPV vaccine for their children, and we need to elevate the voices of parents who support vaccination. People who want to increase their understanding of the HPV vaccine should do three things:

1. Read more about the vaccine from reputable sources like Hollings.
2. Have the confidence to speak more freely about the vaccine, both in person and on social media. Your voice matters.
3. Share why you got vaccinated and why you encourage others to do the same.

Sundstrom said the U.S. is behind other countries in HPV vaccination rates, including Australia, which could eliminate cervical cancer by 2035. The U.S. could potentially eliminate cervical cancer by 2046 if everyone eligible for the HPV vaccine received it.

“In the next generation, we can hopefully eliminate HPV-related cancers with this vaccine,” Sundstrom said. “Hopefully that alone is enough motivation for parents to want to be part of the solution. I think one of our founding principles for all the work we do is compassion and empathy. We truly believe that parents in South Carolina want to do what’s best for their children and their families.”