Objective To analyze the content, characteristics, and public engagement of popular health information related to cervical cancer prevention and control on Chinese social media, and to explore the key factors influencing information dissemination and interaction, providing a basis for optimizing health communication strategies.

Methods From Sina Weibo, a total of 591 popular posts related to cervical cancer prevention and control were selected, covering the period from January 1, 2022, to February 1, 2023. A combination of manual and computer-assisted coding methods was used to analyze the information content, dissemination patterns, public engagement, and emotional tendencies. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were employed to explore the relationships between variables.

Results Authoritative media dominated the dissemination of cervical cancer prevention and control information (56.85%), and the proportion of factual information was high (91.4%). Discussions related to the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine (43.15%) were significantly more prevalent than those related to cervical cancer screening (8.63%), and the emphasis on male responsibility was insufficient (2.2%). The mean Weibo diffusion structure was close to 1 (M = 1.69, SD = 0.64), indicating that information dissemination exhibited a "one-to-many" broadcast structure rather than a "many-to-many" viral diffusion pattern. The source, topic, veracity, and gender orientation of the information significantly influenced some indicators of public engagement. The source significantly affected the diffusion scale (P = 0.047) and diffusion structure (P = 0.004), with media having a wider reach and tending towards viral dissemination. The topic significantly affected the diffusion scale (P = 0.008) and diffusion structure (P < 0.001), with topics related to vaccine controversies less likely to exhibit viral diffusion patterns. The veracity of information significantly affected the diffusion scale (P = 0.004), with false information having a wider reach. Gender orientation significantly affected the diffusion scale (P = 0.003) and the number of likes (P = 0.035), with male-oriented content being more likely to be reposted and liked. Furthermore, the source (P < 0.036), topic (P < 0.001), veracity (P < 0.001), and sentiment (P < 0.001) of the original Weibo post significantly predicted public sentiment, with vaccine controversies and negative sentiment tending to evoke negative emotions.

Conclusions Authoritative media play a leading role in the dissemination of cervical cancer prevention and control information, but there is an imbalance in the ratio of discussions about HPV vaccination and screening, and insufficient emphasis on male responsibility. Information dissemination is mainly characterized by a broadcast structure, and the source, topic, veracity, and gender orientation of information are key factors influencing public engagement and sentiment.