Systematic review and meta-analysis comparing educational and reminder digital interventions for promoting HPV vaccination uptake

Global Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates remain low despite available WHO-approved vaccines. Digital interventions for promoting vaccination uptake offer a scalable and accessible solution to this issue. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the efficacy of digital interventions—comparing educational and reminder approaches—for promoting HPV vaccination uptake (HVU) and identified factors influencing effectiveness. PubMed, PsycInfo, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were searched from inception to January 2023. Three raters independently evaluated studies using a blinded disagreement-resolution method. From 1929 references, 34 unique studies (281,280 unique participants) had sufficient data. Client reminder (OR 1.41; 95% CI 1.23–1.63; P < 0.001), provider reminder (OR 1.39; 95% CI 1.11–1.75; P = 0.005), provider education (OR 1.18; 95% CI 1.05–1.34; P = 0.007), and client education plus reminder (OR 1.29; 95% CI 1.04–1.59; P = 0.007) increased HVU, whereas client education did not (OR 1.08; 95% CI 0.92–1.28; P = 0.35). Effectiveness varied by participant gender and digital platform; interventions targeting male or mixed-gender participants showed greater benefit, and reminder platforms (SMS, preference reminders, electronic health record alerts) were more effective. Digital reminder interventions, alongside provider education, proved more effective than client education alone. Integrating digital interventions, especially reminder-based strategies, into healthcare systems can effectively promote HPV vaccination uptake.