Empowering Unvaccinated Women with Information: How Online Cancer Information Seeking and Scanning Encourage HPV Vaccination in China

Chinese women face a tremendous threat of cervical cancer alongside low rates of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. Online cancer information has become a driving force of HPV vaccination, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Drawing upon the three-stage model of health promotion, this study examines the relationships between online cancer information seeking and scanning and HPV vaccination intention among unvaccinated Chinese women. Specifically, the mediating roles of HPV knowledge and perceived efficacy for cancer prevention and the moderating role of information elaboration were tested. Results from a national online survey (<i>N</i> = 404) indicate that both information seeking and scanning are positively associated with HPV vaccination intention through improving HPV knowledge and perceived cancer prevention efficacy. Additionally, information seeking directly and positively correlates with perceived cancer prevention efficacy, while information scanning is directly related to increased HPV vaccination intention. Information elaboration also strengthens the indirect pathway linking information seeking and vaccination intention via the sequential mediation chain. Theoretically, the results extend the three-stage model by demonstrating the distinct roles of information seeking and scanning in HPV vaccination intention. Practically, our findings can inform health organizations and informatics professionals to develop promotional campaigns to improve knowledge, empower unvaccinated women, and encourage vaccination uptake.