The Development of a Fotonovela for HPV Vaccine Education

The goal of this project was to develop, with community input, a fotonovela that can be used to educate Latino parents about the HPV vaccine for the prevention of cervical cancer. Despite the preventability of cervical cancer, 12,109 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer and 4,092 women died from cervical cancer in the United States in 2011. More Latina women are diagnosed with cervical cancer than women of other races or ethnicities. Studies have shown that HPV vaccination combined with cervical cancer screening could prevent close to 93% of cervical cancer cases. Despite this, a 2013 national survey showed only 37.6% of adolescent girls completed the HPV vaccine series. For Latina girls that number is even smaller. In order to increase awareness and knowledge about the HPV vaccine, culturally competent educational material needs to be available for Latino parents. In Salt Lake City, the most common reasons Latino parents cited for not vaccinating their daughters were lack of knowledge, concerns about side effects, and costs. The research has additionally shown that parents with low-acculturation were more likely to report lack of information as the main barrier. That fact supports the need for culturally-targeted materials to promote HPV vaccination. Objectives for this project included gathering qualitative information about the preferences and recommendations of Latino parents living in Salt Lake City regarding the creation of a fotonovela about HPV vaccination; developing a fotonovela with information about cervical cancer risks, the link between HPV and cervical cancer, and basic HPV vaccine information; determining community suggestions for improvement of the fotonovela and updating the fotonovela to include the input of local Latino parents; and disseminating the results through a poster presentation. Through contact with community organizations in Salt Lake City, fifteen Latino parents were recruited to a focus group. The main goal of this focus group was to encourage ideas and input from the community regarding the development of a fotonovela. The main themes expressed in the focus group were determined and two plots were developed using these themes. After the drafting of the fotonovelas, an additional focus group was held to assess parents' preferences and recommendations for improvement. One fotonovela was chosen and was updated to incorporate these recommendations. The main theme from the first focus group was that parents wanted information so that they could educate their children. Parents voiced that the information in the fotonovela should be presented by a provider or someone who has knowledge on the topic. They requested basic information about the recommendations for vaccination and about side effects. Parents were also interested in how HPV affects boys. The parents who participated in the second group voiced a preference for the first of the two fotonovelas. A few changes were made based on additional feedback, but in general parents had a very positive response to the fotonovelas. This DNP project addressed the increased risk of cervical cancer among Latina women. With the recommended vaccination and screening, cervical cancer is a largely preventable disease. Previous research has identified many of the barriers to vaccination within the Latino community in Salt Lake City. This project aimed to address those barriers through the creation of culturally competent educational material, specifically a fotonovela.