Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Mar 3, 2021
Date Accepted: Aug 10, 2021
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Effect of a Brief Web-Based Educational Intervention on Willingness to Receive the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine in Japan: A Randomized, Controlled Trial
ABSTRACT
Background:
The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rate in Japan has fallen to nearly zero since the suspension of governmental proactive recommendations in 2013, owing to the development of purported adverse events. This has resulted in an unfavorable situation that requires rectification.
Objective:
This study aimed to clarify the effects of a brief web-based educational intervention using the theory of behavioral insights on willingness to receive the HPV vaccine.
Methods:
We recruited 1,660 participants aged 20 years and older in March 2018 via a webpage and provided them with a 10-item questionnaire related to the following aspects: awareness regarding HPV infection and vaccine, willingness for immunization, and actions for prevention. We randomly stratified participants based on sex, age, and marital status with or without a brief educational intervention using scientific information presented in an easy-to-read format.
Results:
Only 29.2% of the respondents were aware of the benefits of HPV vaccination. Although only 21.2% of the respondents displayed a willingness toward immunization for their daughters, an additional 4.8% of the respondents in the intervention group reported affirmatively (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=1.32, 95% CI 1.04-1.69). In a sub-analysis, the willingness of male participants significantly changed following intervention with fundamental scientific information (aOR=1.46, 95% CI 1.05-2.02). However, such a change was not observed among female participants (aOR=1.20, 95% CI 0.83-1.73).
Conclusions:
This study suggests that a brief web-based educational intervention increases the willingness to receive the HPV vaccine, especially among male participants. Thus, providing adequate information to men may be a useful strategy to improve the currently low rates of HPV vaccination. Clinical Trial: The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Research Ethics Committee of Yokohama City University School of Medicine (A180200004). The institutional ethics committee ruled that a non-invasive brief educational intervention of this nature can be exempted from trial registration.
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