ASPO Abstracts
Using Social Marketing Theory to Inform a HPV Vaccine Campaign with Arab and Mexican American Communities in Brooklyn
Category: Behavioral Science & Health Communication
Conference Year: 2022
Abstract Body:
Purpose. To partner with Arab and Mexican American communities in Brooklyn to address a significant gap for a multilevel, community-centered and culturally-tailored HPV campaign.Methods. Guided by community-based participatory research and social marketing theory, we conducted semi-structured interviews with community stakeholders and members (parents/caregivers and adolescents) from the Arab and Mexican American communities in Brooklyn to examine challenges/facilitators to HPV vaccination to inform a HPV campaign. We used a blended content analysis and organized themes by 4 P's of the social marketing mix (Price, Product, Place, Promotion).Results. We completed interviews with 14 community stakeholders, 14 parents, and 16 adolescents. Whereas most adolescents preferred education in English, stakeholders and parents identified a significant lack of in-language HPV materials in both communities. Most parents reported limited knowledge of HPV, including the vaccination status of their adolescents. The two communities shared restrictive norms about premarital sex, particularly for girls, and the perception that the HPV vaccine is for girls (Price). Stakeholders and parents agreed that the HPV campaign should emphasize cancer prevention not sexually transmitted illness. Arab parents favored messaging that emphasizes risk reduction for their daughters after they get married and become sexually active (Product). Most participants cited doctors as ideal messengers and recommended parent educational workshops be delivered either online (e.g., Facebook) or through in-person interactive workshops conducted in community-based organizations (CBOs), and for adolescents either on social media (e.g., TikTok) or schools (Place). Stakeholders and parents agreed that bilingual brochures should be available in various community sites, including doctors' offices and CBOs. Adolescents cited social media as the ideal dissemination channel (Promotion).Conclusion. Our participatory social marketing approach underscores the need for a community-centered, multilevel in-language HPV campaign for Arab and Mexican communities that aligns with their cultural norms and leverages existing community assets such as CBOs, healthcare providers, and schools.
Keywords: HPV vaccine; social marketing; immigrant communities