A social media microinfluencer intervention to reduce coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine hesitancy in underserved Tennessee communities: A protocol paper

Healthcare Professionals' Perspectives on HPV Recommendations: Themes of Interest to Different Population Groups and Strategies for Approaching Them

As a flagship of the Europe's Beating Cancer Plan, the European Commission supports EU member states' efforts to strengthen and expand the routine vaccination of girls and boys against human papillomavirus (HPV). Populations across Europe have grown in diversity, and health systems must adapt to meet the specific needs of increasing diversity. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) must strive to communicate HPV vaccine information in a culturally sensitive manner and address specific concerns related to cultural beliefs, trust in health systems and perceived risks. The objectives of this exploratory study are to identify which themes are most frequently raised during the recommendation of vaccination to minors based on the characteristics of the population (religion, region of origin, gender, level of education and language proficiency) and to collect strategies to improve communication with a diverse population. A survey was distributed through various European public health institutions to HCPs in the region and their networks. The survey included multi-response questions (themes addressed during vaccination recommendation based on population characteristics) and open-ended questions (own qualitative comments and strategies). The most common issues that arise during vaccine recommendation are a lack of knowledge, followed by misinformation. Differences were detected according to the population characteristics. Suggested strategies to improve HPV vaccine recommendation focused on the following aspects: affordability; sexuality and gender; communication platforms; multilingualism; quality of care; school collaboration. HCPs report differences according to the characteristics of the population receiving the recommendation. Personalisation of the recommendations would help to optimise the decision-making process for some groups.

The Emerging Landscape of Social Media Influencers in Public Health Collaborations: A Scoping Review

Social media content creators or "influencers" are an increasingly influential voice in the public discourse generally, including global perceptions and practices related to health. In response, public health entities are increasingly embracing social media influencers (SMIs) as potential health promotion collaborators. Despite burgeoning interest in the potential of these partnerships, research evaluating this strategy remains limited. To address this gap, we conducted a scoping review to characterize and describe the current landscape of health promotion collaborations with SMIs with a focus on current practices. A search of six electronic databases (PubMed, SCOPUS, Communication & Mass Media Complete, CINAHL Plus, Web of Science, and APA PsycINFO) revealed wide-ranging and inconsistent approaches to these partnerships, including their optimal practices, data reported, and their evaluation criteria. Among the 658 articles initially identified, 15 publications met our inclusion criteria, spanning 7 countries, 8 social media platforms, 11 distinct health topics, and 21 different outcome measures. Basic information necessary for comparing across interventions was often lacking. We noted a lack of consensus on what constitutes an SMI with 53% of included studies lacking any definition or criteria. Although SMIs offer substantial promise as an emerging opportunity for health promotion, particularly for populations that may be otherwise difficult to identify or reach, this review highlights how the current lack of standardized methodologies and metrics prevents meaningful comparisons between collaborations and evaluations of their effectiveness. Based on these findings, we propose four key criteria to aid practitioners in the implementation and evaluation of SMI collaborations.

Community Forums to Address Vaccine Hesitancy: A Useful Tool for Meeting the Needs of Diverse Communities

Community forums are a valuable tool in engaging rural communities to address critical public health issues. Recognizing low levels of COVID-19 vaccine uptake in rural Minnesota communities and the critical public health threat that resulted, pharmacy faculty and Extension professionals from the University of Minnesota partnered with a diverse group of rural stakeholders to plan a series of six community forums to provide life-saving, evidence-based education about the COVID-19 vaccine. Each forum allowed trusted local community leaders, public health workers and healthcare providers to share information about the impact of COVID-19 in their communities. Data about the COVID-19 vaccines was provided, and community members were allowed to ask questions and voice their concerns about the virus and the vaccines. Virtual community forums allowed rural stakeholders to reach a diverse and geographically remote population while maintaining COVID-19 distancing requirements. Offering a safe, virtual space and immediate access to reliable and trusted place-based education allowed individuals an opportunity to get their vaccine questions answered immediately. Community forums can be conducted in rural communities as a direct communication tool to address critical public health issues such as vaccine hesitancy, and empower community members to make informed decisions in fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Consequences of changing Canadian activity patterns since the COVID-19 pandemic include increased residential radon gas exposure for younger people

The COVID-19 pandemic has produced widespread behaviour changes that shifted how people split their time between different environments, altering health risks. Here, we report an update of North American activity patterns before and after pandemic onset, and implications to radioactive radon gas exposure, a leading cause of lung cancer. We surveyed 4009 Canadian households home to people of varied age, gender, employment, community, and income. Whilst overall time spent indoors remained unchanged, time in primary residence increased from 66.4 to 77% of life (+ 1062 h/y) after pandemic onset, increasing annual radiation doses from residential radon by 19.2% (0.97 mSv/y). Disproportionately greater changes were experienced by younger people in newer urban or suburban properties with more occupants, and/or those employed in managerial, administrative, or professional roles excluding medicine. Microinfluencer-based public health messaging stimulated health-seeking behaviour amongst highly impacted, younger groups by > 50%. This work supports re-evaluating environmental health risks modified by still-changing activity patterns.

Investigation of personal variables, technology usage, vaccine-related variables, social media-specific epistemological beliefs, media literacy, social impact strategies variables affecting vaccine hesitancy beliefs in the Covid-19 pandemic

Aim

In this study, personal variables, technology use cases, vaccine-related variables, social media-specific epistemological beliefs, media literacy, and social influence strategies were examined as predictors of Covid-19 vaccination hesitancy (VH) beliefs.

Subject and methods

The prediction design research model is used to detect the predictors of the dependent variable. The study group consists of 378 participants. Five different scales were used together with the self-description form as a data collection tool.

Results

According to the results of the research, individuals who have positive perceptions about the safety of Covid-19 vaccines and who have received the Covid-19 vaccine have lower anti-vaccine beliefs. It is another situation that prevents the opposition to vaccination of those who research the source of information on social media. As a result, age, education and income level, social media usage experience, media literacy, and social influence strategies were not effective on the participants' anti-vaccine beliefs.

Conclusion

According to the findings of the study, positive perceptions about the safety of Covid-19 vaccines, being vaccinated against Covid-19, and researching a source of information on social media variables seem to be effective in laying the foundations for constructive interventions such as using anti-vaccine beliefs to guide, reduce or eliminate negative beliefs about vaccines.

Influence of Information Sources on Chinese Parents Regarding COVID-19 Vaccination for Children: An Online Survey

(1) Aims: This study explored the mechanism by which exposure to different information sources on social media influences Chinese parents' intention to vaccinate their children against COVID-19. (2) Methods: We developed a research framework based on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) theory to illustrate how exposure to information sources on social media increases vaccine confidence and, as a result, parents' intentions regarding pediatric vaccination. The partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method was used to test the data collected through an online survey (687 valid samples). (3) Results: The government approval of vaccines fuels vaccination confidence and acts as a mediator between (a) mass media, government new media, and key opinion leaders, and (b) perceived effectiveness and side effects (safety) of vaccines. (4) Conclusions: The mass media, government new media, and key opinion leaders are crucial sources for encouraging parents to vaccinate their children since they boost the vaccination trust. The focus of COVID-19 vaccination promotion should be to strengthen parents' trust in the government, combined with publicizing the effectiveness and side effects (safety) of vaccines.