A tailored multi-media campaign to promote the human papillomavirus cohort study to young women

Background Human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted disease, is now recognized as the major cause of cervical cancer. The Cancer Research Center of Hawaii developed a low-cost and culturally sensitive multimedia campaign to recruit Oahu women to their HPV cohort study, specifically targeting women 18 to 35 years of age. Methods Initial promotions and enrollment revealed the highest prevalence of HPV among women ages 18–35. Promotional content was restructured to recruit this age group, based on focus group findings that these women may be motivated by information pertaining to the sexual transmission of HPV rather than its role as a risk factor for cervical cancer. Data obtained during initial triage of participants were used to assess the efficacy of the campaign. Results The number of women, 18–35, who responded to study promotions increased by 54%. At the conclusion of recruitment, 77% of the 508 HPV-positive women were between 18 and 35 years of age. E-mail and newspaper articles and advertisements generated the biggest response and were cost- and time-efficient. Conclusions Although not as effective as personal recruitment during clinic visits, a media campaign which targets the desired demographic can both increase study participation as well as promote cancer prevention and health education.