Using Facebook to Recruit Young Australian Men Into a Cross-Sectional Human Papillomavirus Study.

Young men can be difficult to engage in health research using traditional methods of recruitment. Social networking sites are increasingly being used to recruit participants into health research, due to their cost effectiveness, overall generalizability, and wide reach. The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of using Facebook to recruit young Australian men into a human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence study. We recruited male permanent residents of Australia, aged 18 to 35 years, into the HPV in Young Males (HYM) study through targeted advertising placed on Facebook. Consenting participants completed an online questionnaire and provided a self-collected penile swab for HPV DNA detection and genotyping. We compared sociodemographic characteristics of the study population with those of the general Australian male population, based on Australian 2011 census data. Between February 2015 and February 2017, targeted Facebook advertisements reached 1,523,239 men, resulting in 41,811 clicks through to the study website, with 1072 (2.56%) converting to lodgment of an expression of interest. Of these, 681 (63.53%) provided written informed consent and 535 (78.6% of recruited participants) completed all the study requirements. Reasons for participating in the study included altruism, past history of HPV, gaining more knowledge about HPV or the vaccine, working in the health industry, and the monetary compensation. The average advertising cost per completed study participant was Aus $48. Compared with the census population, HYM study participants were more likely to be Australian born (P<.001), be from Victoria (P=.003) or the Australian Capital Territory (P=.004), reside in a major city (P<.001), and have completed undergraduate (P<.001) or postgraduate education (P<.001). HYM study participants were less likely to report being a current smoker (P=.03), but were more likely to identify as bisexual or homosexual (294/529, 55.6%, P<.001), than the general population. Using Facebook is a feasible and efficient strategy for the recruitment of men from across Australia for HPV testing. This method could be used for monitoring the impact of HPV vaccination. Additional targeting may achieve a sample that is broadly demographically representative of the Australian population. Future research should explore how the sexual risk behavior characteristics of populations recruited through Facebook compare with those of traditional recruitment methods.

Das R ，Machalek DA ，Molesworth EG ，Garland SM ... -  《JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH》

Estimation of geographic variation in human papillomavirus vaccine uptake in men and women: an online survey using facebook recruitment.

Nelson EJ ，Hughes J ，Oakes JM ，Pankow JS ，Kulasingam SL ... -  《-》

Assessing genital human papillomavirus genoprevalence in young Australian women following the introduction of a national vaccination program.

Following the implementation of Australia's National HPV Vaccination Program in April 2007, this study evaluated the prevalence of vaccine-targeted human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes (HPV 6, 11, 16, 18) amongst vaccine-eligible young women. Between September 2011 and August 2013, women from Victoria, Australia aged 18-25 were recruited through targeted advertising on the social networking website Facebook. Participants completed an online questionnaire, and sexually active women were asked to provide a self-collected vaginal swab for HPV deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) detection and genotyping. Samples positive for HPV were genotyped using the Linear Array HPV genotyping test (Roche Diagnostics). Self-reported HPV vaccination details were verified with the National HPV Vaccination Program Register (NHVPR). Of 431 vaginal swabs, 24.8% were positive for HPV DNA. Vaccine-targeted HPV genotypes were detected in only seven (1.6%) samples; all HPV 16 (of the six HPV 16 positive vaccinated women, all had received the vaccine after sexual debut). There were no cases of HPV 6, 11 or 18 identified. HPV types 51, 59, 73, 84, and 89 were the most prevalent genotypes. Vaccination rates were high, with 77.3% of participants having received all three doses of the vaccine, and there was an 89.8% concordance between self-reported and registry-reported HPV vaccination status. Strong associations were observed between vaccination status, age, language spoken at home and country of birth, as well as between HPV detection and the number of male sexual partners. Preliminary data from this study demonstrate a very low prevalence of vaccine-related HPV genotypes amongst vaccine-eligible women from Victoria, Australia. We were able to use Facebook to effectively reach and recruit young women to participate in the assessment of the impact of Australia's HPV vaccination program.

Osborne SL ，Tabrizi SN ，Brotherton JM ，Cornall AM ，Wark JD ，Wrede CD ，Jayasinghe Y ，Gertig DM ，Pitts MK ，Garland SM ，VACCINE Study group ... -  《-》

Targeted Facebook Advertising is a Novel and Effective Method of Recruiting Participants into a Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Effectiveness Study.

Subasinghe AK ，Nguyen M ，Wark JD ，Tabrizi SN ，Garland SM ... -  《-》

Final analysis of a study assessing genital human papillomavirus genoprevalence in young Australian women, following eight years of a national vaccination program.

The VACCINE [Vaccine Against Cervical Cancer Impact and Effectiveness] study evaluated the prevalence of quadrivalent vaccine-targeted human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes (HPV 6, 11, 16, 18) amongst young women of vaccine-eligible age. Between October 2011 - June 2015, women aged 18-25 years from Victoria, Australia, were recruited through targeted advertising on the social networking website Facebook. Participants completed an online questionnaire and provided a self-collected vaginal swab for HPV DNA detection and genotyping (Linear Array HPV genotyping assay). Self-reported HPV vaccination details were verified with the National HPV Vaccination Program Register (NHVPR). Of 1223 who agreed to participate, 916 (74.9%) completed the survey and, for 1007 (82.3%) sexually-active participants, 744 (73.9%) returned the self-collected swab, of which 737 contained detectable DNA. 184/737 (25.0%) were positive for HPV. Vaccine-targeted HPV genotypes were detected in only 13 (1.7%) women: 11 HPV 16 (six vaccinated after sexual debut, five unvaccinated) and two HPV 6. Prevalence of any of HPV 31/33/45 collectively was 2.9%, varying significantly by vaccination status (fully 2.0%, unvaccinated 6.8%; p = 0.01). Vaccination rates among the sexually-active cohort were high, with 65.6%, 71.6% and 74.2% of participants having received three, at least two or at least one dose of vaccine, respectively. Of women self-reporting HPV vaccination, the NHVPR confirmed one or more doses were received in 90%. Strong associations were observed between vaccination status, age, language spoken at home and country of birth, as well as between HPV detection and the number of male sexual partners. Surveillance five to eight years' post-initiation of a national HPV vaccination program demonstrated a consistent and very low prevalence of vaccine-related HPV genotypes and some evidence of cross protection against related types amongst vaccine-eligible women from Victoria, Australia.

Garland SM ，Cornall AM ，Brotherton JML ，Wark JD ，Malloy MJ ，Tabrizi SN ，VACCINE study group ... -  《-》