Finding messages and messengers to increase vaccination rates goal of HRE research project
Rockford researchers in the UICOMR Department of Family and Community Medicine's Division of Health Research and Evaluation (HRE) are investigating factors associated with effective messages and trusted messengers among unvaccinated and partially vaccinated adults thanks to a study funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through a $500,000 Special Interest Project Grant.
Francis Kazungu, MS, a research associate II, and HRE director Manorama Khare, PhD, MS, are collaborating with Emily Stiehl, PhD, at the UIC School of Public Health Policy, Prevention and Practice Center — one of only three such centers in the country that were funded for this project.
As efforts shift from a one-time vaccination schedule toward the potential need for regular, annual vaccines to maintain immunity, existing levels of vaccine hesitancy threaten to widen disparities in vaccine uptake and affect overall health outcomes. This project seeks to obtain unique, in-depth insights on what makes community-level vaccine conversations effective. By focusing on both the messenger and message, the researchers will implement a mixed-methods approach to assess multi-level factors impacting the effectiveness of messages and trustworthiness of messengers across rural and urban communities.
This project consists of three aims:
- to compare and contrast factors that make vaccine messages most effective in rural and urban settings;
- identify the contextual and relational characteristics that define successful community-level vaccine messengers;
- assess the impact of optimized messages and messengers on intention to vaccinate. Focus groups, rapid assessment surveys, and observational studies will be used to determine both message and messenger effectiveness and trustworthiness.
Kazungu and Dr. Khare were investigators on a previous vaccine hesitancy study, also funded by the CDC through UIC’s Prevention Research Center. The study was a multi-level outreach project aimed at increasing vaccine confidence, willingness and intention to vaccinate in communities that have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. This newly funded special interest project will build on the findings of the vaccine hesitancy study by informing efforts around effective vaccine messaging.
“By assessing the conversational content, styles and tone of successful vaccine messages, along with the social, demographic, and relational characteristics that define successful community-level vaccine messengers, we can uncover insights to help federal, state and local entities develop effective programs with the aim of increasing adult vaccine uptake,” says Kazungu.