Polio is 99% eradicated but remains endemic in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine hesitancy and refusals have become a worldwide phenomenon. In this blog post, the author lists several reasons why people refuse vaccines.
Source: Vaccine hesitancy: Perspective from the global polio eradication program in Balochistan
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Handwashing is essential for respiratory virus prevention, but uptake of handwashing in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic remains under-explored. This study examines trends in and determinants of handwashing practices for COVID-19 prevention in 10 countries in West, East, and Southern Africa. Data are derived from an online global Facebook survey assessing COVID-19 knowledge, attitudes, and practices, fielded in July (Round 1) and November 2020 (Round 2).
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False claims about COVID-19 vaccines can undermine public trust in ongoing vaccination campaigns, posing a threat to global public health. Misinformation originating from various sources has been spreading on the web since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Antivaccine activists have also begun to use platforms such as Twitter to promote their views. To properly understand the phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy through the lens of social media, it is of great importance to gather the relevant data.
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Vaccines save between 2 million and 3 million lives each year and protect the entire population from more than a dozen life-threatening diseases. Thanks to vaccination, smallpox was eradicated in 1980, and we are on track to eradicate polio. However, despite great strides in the control of measles, one of the most contagious diseases known, the last few years have unfortunately seen an increase in cases. This is why high vaccination coverage—95% or more—is needed, posing a major technical and communication challenge for health workers. Studies show that telling people about the quality, safety, effectiveness and availability of vaccines is not enough to influence behavior change related to immunization, and in general, doesn´t increase coverage. For this reason, it´s necessary to understand the reasons why people choose not to get vaccinated or not get their children vaccinated, in order to begin a two-way respectful dialogue using the best, most effective messages. Given this context, the main objective of these guidelines is to provide tools for staff working in the field of immunization to support effective communication between health personnel and the general population, with the aim of strengthening, maintaining or recovering trust in vaccines and the immunization programs in the Region of the Americas.
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The Behavior Change for Good Initiative (BCFG) at the Wharton School and the School of Arts and Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania, in collaboration with the Penn Medicine Nudge Unit (PMNU), today released findings from two of the largest-ever research studies aimed at increasing vaccine adoption. Conducted with Walmart and two regional health systems (Penn Medicine and Geisinger), these studies reveal simple communications that reminded individuals a flu shot was “waiting” or “reserved” for them proved most effective, boosting vaccination rates by up to 11%. The promising results can be adapted to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations.
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This strategy defines how WHO and religious leaders, faith-based organizations, and faith communities can support national governments during health emergencies. The goal is to enable more effective responses by strengthening collaboration between the WHO, national governments and religious leaders, faith-based organizations, and faith communities, resulting in more people being better protected from health emergencies and enjoying better health and well-being, including improved trust and social cohesion.
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Millions of Americans are now eligible to get a COVID-19 booster dose. The following communications resources — including topline talking points, answers to tough questions, sample social media posts and graphics — can help you answer questions about COVID-19 vaccine booster doses and support your local vaccination outreach.
Source: Updated Toolkit: COVID-19 Booster Dose Messaging and Outreach Tools
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Changing behavior is challenging, so behavioral scientists and designers better have a large toolkit. Nudges—subtle changes to the choice environment that don’t remove options or offer a financial incentive—are perhaps the most widely used tool. But they’re not the only tool.
More recently, researchers have advocated a different type of behavioral intervention: boosting. In contrast to nudges, which aim to change behavior through changing the environment, boosts aim to empower individuals to better exert their own agency.
Source: Building the Behavior Change Toolkit: Designing and Testing a Nudge and a Boost
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This section is an ongoing compilation of tough questions related to COVID-19, with suggested answers. Many of these topics are sensitive and often politicized. The document is designed to provide message guidance and framing for public health officials and others, and it is regularly updated to reflect new developments and emerging issues.
Source: Answers to Tough Questions about Public Health
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People with high general trust perceive less risks associated with COVID-19 compared with people who have low general trust, and people with high social trust perceive more risks compared with people who have low social trust. The results further indicate that perceived risks are important drivers for the acceptance of the government’s implemented measures to control COVID-19 and for more precautionary behavior (i.e., contact with fewer people and more hygienic behavior).
Source: The Impact of Trust and Risk Perception on the Acceptance of Measures to Reduce COVID-19 Cases
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