Call the shots : a health communication campaign encouraging young women to take charge of cervical cancer prevention by taking the HPV vaccination

Abstract

Call The Shots is a health campaign that encouraged young women to take the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. Initiated by four final-year students from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, the campaign aimed to bring the issue of cervical cancer prevention closer to female university students aged 19 to 24.

This paper is a summary of the campaign from its inception to conclusion. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behaviour, mixed methods research was implemented to gather insights from the target audience on the HPV vaccination and cervical cancer. These findings were used to formulate an three-phase intervention aimed at increasing intention to take the HPV vaccination, thus leading to behaviour change.

The campaign’s strategy was to make the HPV vaccination and cervical cancer prevention more relatable to university students. This was done through tactics on social media, outreach events on campus, and collaborations with campus clinics, as detailed in this paper. The success of the campaign was evaluated through impact and output objectives at the end of the paper, with the use of a posttest-only control group design. Tests were run on IBM SPSS Statistics to conclude significant differences between the two groups. Supporting information and visuals can be found in the appendices of this paper.

The findings and recommendations from this paper can be used to guide future campaigns and studies looking to increase intention towards vaccination.