Immunize the HPV Vaccine Rumors: Effects of Inoculation Messages and Tone of Voice on Parental Intention to Vaccinate Their Children

The purpose of this study was to develop an effective health communication strategy to guide the decision-making process of parents considering getting their children HPV vaccines. Using inoculation theory and findings on tone of voice as theoretical frameworks, the present study conducted a 2 (message type: inoculation vs. supportive) × 2 (tone of voice: human voice vs. organizational voice) mixed experiment with a total of 231 U.S. parents (either mother or father of a child eligible for the HPV vaccine). The results revealed that HPV vaccination promotions based on the inoculation message were more likely to generate positive attitudes toward the vaccination, higher intention to vaccinate their children, and higher intention to spread positive word of mouth (WOM) about HPV vaccination. Also, HPV vaccination promotions in the human voice were likely to increase the WOM intention more than those in the organizational voice. In regard to an interaction effect, human voice turned out to be more effective than organizational voice to generate the WOM intention when it comes to supportive messages; inoculation-based messages were similarly effective across the human and the organizational voice condition.