Implementation Research on Vaccine Hesitancy

Challenge

Vaccine-preventable diseases are now resurging as immunization coverage has decreased, driven by reductions in vaccine confidence and trust. The COVID-19 pandemic has further eroded trust in public health systems and catalyzed anti-vaccine sentiment. Vaccine hesitancy has now become a global phenomenon, affecting low-, middle-, and high-income countries alike. Its proliferation has been propelled by the ubiquitous nature of misinformation and disinformation shared on social media platforms.

An initial landscape analysis found few trainings for health providers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) focusing on responding to online vaccine misinformation and an online, asynchronous training course for health care professionals in LMICs was created and pilot tested with 20 professionals in 8 countries. This training provided participants with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to effectively address vaccine misinformation they encounter both on social media and in interactions with peers and patients.

Approach

Our pilot testing indicates that asynchronous training grounded in behavioral theories such as pre-bunking and inoculation is a feasible approach to training frontline health workers in LMICs. We now aim to culturally adapt and build out this training further, with animated videos and additional resources, and work with UNICEF to develop a training package to disseminate in Kenya and 2-3 other Sub-Saharan African countries in a phased approach, with evaluation of the effects of the training at each phase. We also intend to translate this training into French and adapt it for use by healthcare workers in Francophone countries.