TY - JOUR
T1 - Young adults’ preferences for influenza vaccination campaign messages: Implications for COVID-19 vaccine intervention design and development
AU - Su, Zhaohui
AU - McDonnell, Dean
AU - Wen, Jun
AU - Cheshmehzangi, Ali
AU - Ahmad, Junaid
AU - Goh, Edmund
AU - Li, Xiaoshan
AU - Segalo, Sabina
AU - Mackert, Michael
AU - Xiang, Yu-Tao
AU - Wang, Peiyu
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021
PY - 2021/4/17
Y1 - 2021/4/17
N2 - BackgroundHealth campaign interventions, particularly those tailored to the target audience's needs and preferences, can cost-effectively change people's attitudes and behaviors towards better health decision-making. However, there is limited research on how to best tailor seasonal influenza vaccination campaigns for young adults. Vaccination is vital in protecting young adults and their social circles (vulnerable populations like older adults) from the influenza virus and critical in shaping these emerging adults’ vaccination habits in the long run. However, amid the prevalence of easily-accessible, attention-grabbing, and often malicious false and misinformation (e.g., COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy theories), it may be more challenging to develop vaccination messages that resonate with young adults well enough to attract their attention. Therefore, to bridge the research gap, this study examines young adults’ preferences for seasonal influenza vaccination campaigns to inform effective intervention design and development. MethodsQualitative survey questions were developed to gauge young adults’ preferences for seasonal influenza vaccination campaigns. A total of 545 young adults (73.9% female, Mage = 19.89, SD = 1.44) from a large University offered complete answers to a cross-sectional online survey. Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis procedures were adopted to guide the data analysis process. ResultsThematic analysis revealed that young adults prefer seasonal influenza vaccination campaigns that rely on (1) quality and balanced information from (2) credible information sources, positioned in the (3) relevant health contexts, (4) emphasize actionable messages, and incorporate (5) persuasive campaign design. Interestingly, while many participants underscored the importance of fear-appeal messages in persuading them to take health actions, some young adults also suggested avoiding fear campaigns due to discomfort. ConclusionsInsights of the study can inform seasonal influenza vaccination design and development, and have the potential to shed light on vaccination messaging in other vaccine contexts, such as COVID-19 vaccines. Results also underscore the need for health experts and government officials to adopt a more nuanced approach when selecting persuasive campaign appeals. While some young adults may resonate well with fear appeals, others may not. Future research could examine the underlying mechanisms that drive young adults’ preference for vaccination campaign intervention to enrich the literature further.
AB - BackgroundHealth campaign interventions, particularly those tailored to the target audience's needs and preferences, can cost-effectively change people's attitudes and behaviors towards better health decision-making. However, there is limited research on how to best tailor seasonal influenza vaccination campaigns for young adults. Vaccination is vital in protecting young adults and their social circles (vulnerable populations like older adults) from the influenza virus and critical in shaping these emerging adults’ vaccination habits in the long run. However, amid the prevalence of easily-accessible, attention-grabbing, and often malicious false and misinformation (e.g., COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy theories), it may be more challenging to develop vaccination messages that resonate with young adults well enough to attract their attention. Therefore, to bridge the research gap, this study examines young adults’ preferences for seasonal influenza vaccination campaigns to inform effective intervention design and development. MethodsQualitative survey questions were developed to gauge young adults’ preferences for seasonal influenza vaccination campaigns. A total of 545 young adults (73.9% female, Mage = 19.89, SD = 1.44) from a large University offered complete answers to a cross-sectional online survey. Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis procedures were adopted to guide the data analysis process. ResultsThematic analysis revealed that young adults prefer seasonal influenza vaccination campaigns that rely on (1) quality and balanced information from (2) credible information sources, positioned in the (3) relevant health contexts, (4) emphasize actionable messages, and incorporate (5) persuasive campaign design. Interestingly, while many participants underscored the importance of fear-appeal messages in persuading them to take health actions, some young adults also suggested avoiding fear campaigns due to discomfort. ConclusionsInsights of the study can inform seasonal influenza vaccination design and development, and have the potential to shed light on vaccination messaging in other vaccine contexts, such as COVID-19 vaccines. Results also underscore the need for health experts and government officials to adopt a more nuanced approach when selecting persuasive campaign appeals. While some young adults may resonate well with fear appeals, others may not. Future research could examine the underlying mechanisms that drive young adults’ preference for vaccination campaign intervention to enrich the literature further.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85109358038&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100261
DO - 10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100261
M3 - Article
SN - 2666-3546
VL - 14
SP - 1
EP - 9
JO - Brain, Behavior, and Immunity - Health
JF - Brain, Behavior, and Immunity - Health
M1 - 100261
ER -