Department of Psychology, Babes-Bolyai University, 37 Republicii Street, Cluj-Napoca, CJ, 400015, Romania.
Int J Behav Med. 2014 Feb;21(1):20-8. doi: 10.1007/s12529-013-9340-z.
Whereas Romanian health officials have launched two national human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaigns, the uptake rate remained insignificant. Understanding local perceptions of the vaccine is necessary, as they could inform future educational programmes. Given that social media provide new opportunities to communicate about vaccination, this paper sought to explore the public's constructions of the HPV vaccine as they were expressed on Internet discussion forums.
Twenty discussion forums, with a total sample size of 2,240 comments (2007-2012), were included. We conducted a thematic analysis with a focus on language, informed by a discourse analytic approach.
Positive discourses relying on evidence-based arguments or cancer-related experiences battled with negative discourses that focused mostly on pseudo-scientific information and affect-based testimonials. Both camps made use of appeals to authority in order to provide powerful messages. Critics expressed high levels of mistrust in the health system and perceived the vaccine as dangerous, as part of a conspiracy, as unnecessary or as a promoter of promiscuity. By contrast, supporters considered the HPV vaccine to be helpful and criticized the irrationality of opponents. Ambivalence and uncertainty also emerged, along with criticism toward the suboptimal organization of the vaccination programmes. Findings highlight ways in which views about the vaccine are embedded in broader perspectives about science, the national medical system, society development and economic inequality.
Online posts are likely to elicit fear and doubts around vaccination, which in turn may impair decisions. Findings indicate that targeted education campaigns are needed in order to address public concerns about vaccination.
罗马尼亚卫生官员已经发起了两次全国人乳头瘤病毒（HPV）疫苗接种运动，但接种率仍然微不足道。了解当地对疫苗的看法是必要的，因为这可以为未来的教育计划提供信息。由于社交媒体为疫苗接种提供了新的沟通机会，本文试图探索公众在互联网讨论论坛上表达的 HPV 疫苗的看法。
共纳入 20 个讨论论坛，总样本量为 2240 条评论（2007-2012 年）。我们进行了主题分析，重点关注语言，并通过话语分析方法提供信息。
基于循证论据或癌症相关经验的积极论述与主要关注伪科学信息和基于情感的证明的消极论述相抗衡。这两个阵营都利用了诉诸权威来提供有力的信息。批评者对卫生系统表示高度不信任，并认为疫苗是危险的，是阴谋的一部分，是不必要的，或者是滥交的推动者。相比之下，支持者认为 HPV 疫苗是有帮助的，并批评了反对者的非理性。还出现了矛盾和不确定性，以及对疫苗接种计划组织不佳的批评。研究结果突出了对疫苗的看法如何嵌入更广泛的科学、国家医疗体系、社会发展和经济不平等观点之中。
在线帖子可能会引发对疫苗接种的恐惧和疑虑，这反过来又可能影响决策。研究结果表明，需要开展有针对性的教育活动，以解决公众对疫苗接种的担忧。
