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This study explored the effects of COVID-19 vaccine promotion messages highlighting the benefit at individual, community, and country levels. Based on the cultural theory of risks, we investigated how individuals’ valuation of individualism vs. communitarianism and hierarchical vs. egalitarian social structure affect their responses to vaccine messages.
Views 558
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
Views 830
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).
Views 1121
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.
Views 540
The COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. When it’s your turn, we encourage you to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Remember that it is essential for everyone, including those who have been vaccinated, to help stop the spread of infection by washing hands, keeping your distance, and following local mask guidelines.
Source: COVID-19 vaccine: Bringing us together
Views 590
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.
Views 658
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
Views 984
This website is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Breakthrough ACTION Cooperative Agreement #AID-OAA-A-17-00017. Breakthrough ACTION is based at Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP).The contents of this website are the sole responsibility of Breakthrough ACTION and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID, the United States Government, or Johns Hopkins University.
