Improving knowledge of HPV and Cancer using a community app for Lesbian, Bisexual, and Queer Women

If we are to accomplish the World Health Organizations goal of a cervical cancer free world, we must we must understand the specific barriers to primary and secondary prevention that exist for lesbian, bisexual, and queer women, and provide high quality educational materials to inform their health care decisions. The aim of our project is to assess current understanding of HPV, the HPV vaccine, and HPV vaccination rates among the LGBTQ+ community and their perceptions of the role that HPV plays in cancer. We will also assess participant’s understanding of cervical cancer screening and their adherence to suggested screening guidelines. Educational links will provide participants access to quality health resources on HPV and cancer following their participation. Ultimately, we hope that our project will help increase knowledge regarding HPV and cervical cancer among participants, as well as identify gaps and barriers to care for women who have sex with women nationwide. To accomplish this, we will partner with the HER dating app platform (one of the most-used community and dating apps in the LGBTQ+ community) to distribute an anonymous survey and educational materials to its users regarding HPV. The HER app will offer banner ads, push text messages, and newsletter promotion of our project to all their 650,000 monthly users in the United States.