The Influence of fate control, perceived health risk, and privacy concerns on the acceptance of human papillomavirus (HPV) screening digital advertising: the moderating role of digital literacy

Abstract

The increasing global adoption of digital communication technologies has created new opportunities for public health promotion while on the contrary the acceptance of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) screening digital advertising has remained inconsistent across many cultural contexts especially in developing nations. This study examined the influence of fate control, perceived health risk, and data privacy concerns on the acceptance of HPV screening digital advertising among Zimbabwean women aged 18 to 49 years. Digital literacy was assessed as a moderating variable. The research borrows from the Biopsychosocial (BPS) Model, Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), and the Digital Health Literacy Competence (DHLC) Framework to generate a new integrated framework that addresses the acceptance of digital communications in HPV screening. A cross-sectional, quantitative research design was employed using a structured questionnaire distributed to a sample of 760 urban and peri-urban women in Zimbabwe through both an online and offline distribution. 670 valid responses were analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) in AMOS. The results revealed that fate control had a significant negative effect on the acceptance of HPV screening digital advertising. Perceived health risk had a significant positive effect on the acceptance of HPV screening digital advertising. Data privacy concerns did not exhibit a significant negative relationship with the acceptance of HPV screening digital advertising as previously guessed. This is an indication that institutional trust and perceived health benefits are likely to outweigh privacy apprehensions among women in the age 18 to 49 years. The moderation analysis showed that digital literacy can intensify both the negative impact of fate control and the positive impact of perceived health risk. On the contrary, digital literacy significantly failed to moderate the influence of privacy concerns on the acceptance of HPV screening digital advertising. The study findings therefore confirm that sociocultural and cognitive beliefs remain powerful determinants of digital health behaviour, even in technologically advanced societies. Health authorities should be now encouraged to design digital advertisements that align health messages with local cultural values, personalized risk communications, and compliment digital competence to generate trust among the public in Zimbabwe and in the region.