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The Little Jab Book: 18 Behavioral Science Strategies for Increasing Vaccination Uptake

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While the COVID-19 vaccines have given the world hope that the pandemic’s end is in sight, we now face another challenge: ensuring enough people actually get vaccinated to quell the disease.

The Little Jab Book provides 18 strategies – derived from the behavioral sciences – that can be applied to increase uptake throughout the vaccination process.

It also includes a primer on important formative research to conduct, and barriers to consider, before adapting the strategies for the reader’s own context. Led by Save the Children’s Center for Utilizing Behavioral Insights for Children (CUBIC), the Busara Center for Behavioral Economics, and Common Thread, The Little Jab Book highlights case studies from previous vaccination programs around the world, and is based on interviews and insights from a dozen global behavioral science and health experts.

Source: The Little Jab Book: 18 Behavioral Science Strategies for Increasing Vaccination Uptake

    Views 4390

    Using an FP social media platform for COVID-19 vaccine promotion in the Philippines: Supporting Department of Health’s National Vaccination Days #BayanihanBakunahan

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    USAID Philippines’  ReachHealth team has several robust social media platforms that reach specific audience segments with family planning messages. USAID’s Breakthrough ACTION COVID Vaccine project worked with ReachHealth to jointly produce and post social media cards promoting the Department of Health’s National Vaccine Days (NVD) from November 29-December 01, 2021 and December 15-17, 2021. 

    The social media cards were posted on  platforms such as It’s Okay To Delay, which caters to young adults, and Konektado Tayo, for parents of teens, who are eligible to get vaccinated in the country. Teens got their own messages on the DOH’s platform for teens, I Choose.

    In a little over a week, these platforms reached more than 3 million people — a solid accomplishment given that the messages were focused on reaching rural and peri-urban areas with low vaccine coverage and not major urban cities like Metro Manila. The posts encouraged vaccination and also answered key questions about family planning and vaccination. 

    Working with the DOH in the Philippines, USAID’s Breakthrough ACTION and ReachHealth projects helped raise public awareness through this vaccine promotion initiative. More than 9.9 million people were vaccinated during the National Vaccination Days, helping the government  to fully vaccinate more than 50 million Filipinos by the start of 2022.

    Source: Using an FP social media platform for COVID-19 vaccine promotion in the Philippines: Supporting Department of Health’s National Vaccination Days #BayanihanBakunahan

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      Pharmacists and COVID-19 Vaccination – Considering Mobile Phone Caller Tunes as a Novel Approach to Promote Vaccine Uptake in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

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      As several low- and middle-income countries roll out their COVID-19 vaccination programmes, COVID-19 vaccines hesitancy could threaten the success of such programmes. But pharmacists can play a leading role in addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy by using a critical mobile phone-based technology. This technology, known as caller tunes or ringback tones, is flourishing in low- and middle-income countries such as those in Africa and Asia where it is used to promote popular songs and religious messages. With this technology, callers to mobile phones hear a message or a song instead of the typical ringing sound. There is a need for pharmacists associations to collaborate with the creative arts industry and telecommunication companies to have caller tunes on COVID-19 vaccines. As pharmacists and others download COVID-19 vaccine caller tunes onto their mobile phones, their callers will hear COVID-19 vaccines messages or songs. This could help combat disinformation and hesitancy, and promote widespread vaccination as availability increases.

      Source: Pharmacists and COVID-19 Vaccination – Considering Mobile Phone Caller Tunes as a Novel Approach to Promote Vaccine Uptake in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

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        Translink launches Wearing is Caring Campaign

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        TransLink is today launching a new campaign aimed at promoting the use of face coverings and non-medical masks on Metro Vancouver’s transit system. As part of the ‘Wearing is Caring’ campaign, more than 15,000 TransLink branded masks will be handed out at key transit hubs over coming weeks.

        Street teams will be positioned at random locations across the system and customers may find they’re especially easy to spot when accompanied by TransLink’s new mask-wearing bus. The @TransLinkNews Twitter account will share the location and times on the day of each giveaway.

        Source: Translink launches Wearing is Caring Campaign

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          Communicating Awareness About COVID-19 Through Songs: An Example From Ghana

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          Grounded in the edutainment approach, we explored how songs are being used to create awareness about COVID-19 in Ghana, a sub-Saharan African country. YouTube was searched, and 28 songs met the study inclusion criteria. We conducted a thematic analysis of the song lyrics. Most lyrics were in English, Ghanaian Pidgin English, Akan, Ga, or Dagbani.

          Source: Communicating Awareness About COVID-19 Through Songs: An Example From Ghana

            Views 861

            COVID Vaccine Ambassador Training: How to Talk to Parents

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            In collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Consortium for School-Based Health Solutions, IVAC faculty have just launched a free online course, “COVID Vaccine Ambassador Training: How to Talk to Parents.”

            Designed for parents, teachers, and school staff, this online course aims to provide “vaccine ambassadors” with the tools to discuss concerns about COVID-19 vaccines with people in their communities. The self-paced course teaches adults how to have respectful and empathetic conversations with parents and guardians who remain hesitant about vaccination for their children, even if they are vaccinated themselves.

            The goal of the course is to empower more people to communicate with parents in the U.S. who have concerns about vaccinating their children, despite the availability of safe, effective, and free COVID-19 vaccines for children ages five and up. In recent weeks, COVID-19 hospitalizations in children have spiked to record levels, including among unvaccinated children ages 5 and up who are eligible for COVID-19 vaccines. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an average of 672 children age 17 and under were admitted to hospitals every day with COVID-19 during the week ending Sunday, January 2—the highest such number of the pandemic. These numbers underscore the urgency to get eligible children across the country vaccinated and boosted now.

            The COVID-19 Vaccine Ambassador course covers evidence-based communication strategies, with video explainers and FAQs about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines, as well as lessons on how to engage in constructive conversations about vaccine hesitancy. The course also includes reliable sources of information about COVID-19 vaccines, an important tool in discussions around vaccines.

            Source: COVID Vaccine Ambassador Training: How to Talk to Parents

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              ‘Vaccination Is’ Campaign for Refugees

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              We worked with IDEO.org, a nonprofit design studio, to build vaccination campaigns in partnership with target communities. Our goal was to increase awareness of and confidence in COVID-19 vaccinations for refugee, immigrant, and migrant communities and their families.

              Source: ‘Vaccination Is’ Campaign for Refugees

                Views 2754

                Combating Online Health Misinformation and Vaccine Hesitancy for Health Providers

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                This 60-minute online training focuses on how to effectively communicate with vaccine hesitant individuals and how to effectively respond to misinformation people may encounter online or on social media. Those who complete the training will earn a certificate of completion through the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health that can be printed directly from the course page.

                This training was developed by a team of leading epidemiologists and behavioral scientists at the International Vaccine Access Center to provide health professionals with evidence-based skills on how to combat vaccine misinformation and promote vaccine confidence in the communities they serve.

                Source: Combating Online Health Misinformation and Vaccine Hesitancy for Health Providers

                  Views 641

                  New COVID Behaviors Reports January 2022 update

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                  Omicron continued to impact COVID-19 testing and positivity rates in the Jan 1-15 data period, with 30% or more of respondents in the United States, South Africa, Paraguay, and elsewhere reporting that they have tested positive for COVID-19 in the previous 14 days.

                  Explore how key prevention behaviors—such as masking and vaccination—have changed in this most recent data period on the COVID Behaviors Dashboard.

                  Source: New COVID Behaviors Reports January 2022 update

                    Views 635

                    COVID-19 Radio Spots – Oyo State

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                    Eight radio spots in English, Pidgin and Yoruba addressing vaccine efficacy, hesitancy, safety and preventive guidelines.

                    Source: COVID-19 Radio Spots – Oyo State

                      Views 871