Influenza vaccination uptake during COVID-19 pandemic: A trusted messenger approach

Objective: Seasonal influenza is a preventable disease that may cause high morbidity and mortality. In the USA, the 2020 influenza season overlapped with the first wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. There is a dearth of research on understanding influenza vaccination uptake and at...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Health education journal 2022-08, Vol.81 (5), p.573-584
Main Authors: Wu, Tsu-Yin, Raghunathan, Vedhika, Lally, Sarah, Rainville, Alice Jo, Bessire, Rachel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Access
Asian Americans
Avoidable
Barriers
Communicable Diseases
Community
Community Leaders
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Demography
Disease Control
Education
Health insurance
Health literacy
Immunization
Immunization Programs
Influenza
Information Dissemination
Knowledge
Knowledge Level
Misconceptions
Morbidity
Pandemics
Polls & surveys
Pretests Posttests
Public Health
Surveys
Test Construction
Trust (Psychology)
Uptake
Vaccination
Vaccines
Viral diseases
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Summary:Objective: Seasonal influenza is a preventable disease that may cause high morbidity and mortality. In the USA, the 2020 influenza season overlapped with the first wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. There is a dearth of research on understanding influenza vaccination uptake and attitudes towards the vaccine among marginalised communities in the USA. The aim of this study was to examine general knowledge, misconceptions about, and barriers to influenza vaccination and determine if flu education delivered via trusted messengers improved knowledge among Asian Americans. Design: Quantitative prospective pre- and post-test design. Setting: Asian American communities in Metro Detroit area, Hamtramck, and Kent County in Michigan. Method: The study started with a training event in which 26 community leaders were trained to become trusted messengers to disseminate flu education. A total of 260 Asian American participants subsequently completed pre- and post-education surveys. Results: Asian Americans in the study reported low flu vaccination rate (48.5%). Reasons varied but included access-related issues (e.g. no access and no insurance) and health literacy (did not know they needed it). After education by trusted messengers, the paired t tests measuring improvement between pre- and post-survey scores showed a significant improvement (p < .05) for all of the knowledge items. Conclusion: Educational campaigns using targeted messages to address specific barriers and acknowledge individuals’ concerns regarding misconceptions while providing equitable vaccine access can be key for the successful implementation of vaccination programmes.
ISSN:0017-8969
1748-8176
DOI:10.1177/00178969221096034