Does language moderate the influence of information scanning and seeking on HPV knowledge and vaccine awareness and initiation among Hispanics?

Objective: To examine whether language moderates associations between three communication variables: media use, information scanning (attending to and remembering information) and seeking (actively looking for information), and three HPV outcomes: knowledge, vaccine awareness and vaccine initiation among Hispanics.

Participants: Hispanic mothers of females aged 8-22 years (N=288) were surveyed.

Methods: Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions investigated associations between communication variables and HPV outcomes. To examine moderation by language, we compared main effects and interaction models using the likelihood ratio test.

Results: For English- and Spanish-speakers, Internet use was associated with more HPV knowledge and vaccine awareness, but not initiation. Scanning and seeking were associated with more knowledge, vaccine awareness, and initiation. Language moderated effects of scanning and seeking only on vaccine awareness. Spanish speakers who scanned for information were more likely to be aware of the vaccine than those who did not (80% vs 26%); Spanish speakers who sought information were also more likely to be aware (95% vs 55%). For English speakers, vaccine awareness did not differ between those who scanned and sought and those who did not.

Conclusions: Effects of information scanning and seeking on HPV vaccine awareness were much greater for Spanish than for English speakers. Providers, therefore, should not assume that Spanish-speaking mothers are already aware of the vaccine. Our findings call attention to heterogeneity within Hispanics which could be particularly important when examining health communication and cancer prevention behaviors.