TY - JOUR
T1 - Mental representations of HPV in Appalachia
T2 - Gender, semantic network analysis, and knowledge gaps
AU - Smith, Rachel A.
AU - Parrott, Roxanne L.
N1 - Funding Information:
This project was supported by Award Number P50-DA010075 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute on Drug Abuse or the National Institutes of Health. We thank Josie Moore, Eric DiMuzio, and Danielle Catona for their efforts on this project.
PY - 2012/9
Y1 - 2012/9
N2 - Media coverage has emphasized human papillomavirus (HPV) as a vaccine-preventable, sexually transmitted virus causing cervical cancer. Appalachian undergraduate students (N = 309, 50% female) were surveyed on their knowledge of HPV; analyses of mental representations were similar to content analyses of media coverage of HPV, suggesting media cultivation. Semantic network analysis revealed linkages between vaccine, disease causation and prevention, women's centrality in the representations, and structural differences that varied between vaccinated women, unvaccinated women, and men. The findings provided insights into gaps in the public's understanding of HPV, potential stigmatization of those testing HPV+, and future challenges in vaccinating men.
AB - Media coverage has emphasized human papillomavirus (HPV) as a vaccine-preventable, sexually transmitted virus causing cervical cancer. Appalachian undergraduate students (N = 309, 50% female) were surveyed on their knowledge of HPV; analyses of mental representations were similar to content analyses of media coverage of HPV, suggesting media cultivation. Semantic network analysis revealed linkages between vaccine, disease causation and prevention, women's centrality in the representations, and structural differences that varied between vaccinated women, unvaccinated women, and men. The findings provided insights into gaps in the public's understanding of HPV, potential stigmatization of those testing HPV+, and future challenges in vaccinating men.
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U2 - 10.1177/1359105311428534
DO - 10.1177/1359105311428534
M3 - Article
C2 - 22169895
AN - SCOPUS:84865207337
SN - 1359-1053
VL - 17
SP - 917
EP - 928
JO - Journal of Health Psychology
JF - Journal of Health Psychology
IS - 6
ER -