SENTIMENT AND PERCEPTIONS ABOUT HPV VACCINE IN INDIA: EVIDENCE FROM SOCIAL MEDIA

Cervical cancer is the 2nd most common cancer in India, despite being largely preventable through HPV vaccination. Since 2008, the HPV vaccine has been available in the Indian market; however, vaccine acceptance and awareness remain low. This policy brief summarizes the findings of a qualitative study among Indian Reddit users discussing HPV vaccination, aiming to understand public perceptions and sentiments towards it. The study explored Reddit users' attitudes, information gaps, and barriers affecting vaccine uptake using the 5A model—Access, Affordability, Awareness, Acceptance, and Activation. The codes most commonly associated with negative and positive sentiments were analyzed using a tree cum heat map. Study findings revealed the majority had neutral or positive sentiment towards the HPV vaccination, with only 20.4% reporting negative sentiments. High cost , safety concerns, misinformation, limited access, and cultural factors were the key factors found to be frequently associated with negative sentiments. In contrast , factors such as right knowledge about the HPV vaccine, healthcare worker (HCW) recommendations, personal health beliefs, and past experiences were found to be associated with positive sentiments.
These findings highlight the need for strategic digital communication that incorporates evidence-based insights to address the lack of information about different brands, eligibility criteria, misinformation about the lack of efficacy, side effects, and concerns about vaccines manufactured in India, while remaining considerate of cultural factors.