University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
Vaccine. 2024 Sep 17;42(22):126040. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.06.008. Epub 2024 Jun 8.
Communities of color had higher rates of Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection and lower rates of COVID-19 vaccination during the pandemic. Parental concern about the safety and necessity of pediatric COVID-19 vaccines contribute to low childhood vaccination. Enlisting parents and caregivers as trusted messengers is an evidence-based approach to mitigate this challenge. VaxUpPhillyFamilies was formed to engage parents and caregivers as vaccine ambassadors to increase vaccination rates in children of color. This study aimed to understand the key benefits, challenges, and lessons learned from the VaxUpPhillyFamilies program.
Three online debriefing sessions with ambassadors were conducted between September 7 and October 24, 2022, to share best practices, address challenges, receive emerging vaccine information, and provide support. Thematic analysis was utilized to develop broad themes and subthemes.
Four themes with corresponding subthemes were identified: 1) Motivations to Become an Ambassador: a) improving the health of the community and b) personal satisfaction; 2) Defining Success: a) community interactions and b) influencing opinions; 3) Best Approaches: a) being mentally prepared with facts, b) addressing community health needs beyond COVID-19, c) demonstrating empathy, d) "meeting them where they're at" by motivational interviewing, and e) building trust and connection; 4) Challenges: a) changes in vaccine guidelines, b) vaccine misinformation, c) varied perceptions of severity of COVID-19 illness and benefits of the vaccine, d) breakdown of communication from trusted sources, and e) structural barriers to engagement.
Parents and caregivers were a resource for delivering evidence-based messaging about COVID-19 and other health challenges. To effectively equip parents and caregivers as public health ambassadors, it is critical to offer training in engagement strategies, to identify and combat misinformation, and to provide support in navigating challenges. VaxUpPhillyFamilies program is a model for future public health campaigns.
在疫情期间，有色人种社区的冠状病毒（COVID-19）感染率较高，而 COVID-19 疫苗接种率较低。父母对儿科 COVID-19 疫苗的安全性和必要性的担忧导致儿童疫苗接种率较低。招募父母和照顾者作为可信赖的信息传递者是减轻这一挑战的循证方法。VaxUpPhillyFamilies 的成立是为了让父母和照顾者担任疫苗大使，以提高有色人种儿童的疫苗接种率。本研究旨在了解 VaxUpPhillyFamilies 计划的主要收益、挑战和经验教训。
2022 年 9 月 7 日至 10 月 24 日期间，通过三次在线汇报会与大使们进行了交流，分享最佳实践、解决挑战、接收最新疫苗信息并提供支持。利用主题分析方法来开发广泛的主题和子主题。
确定了四个主题，并有相应的子主题：1）成为大使的动机：a）改善社区健康，b）个人满足感；2）定义成功：a）社区互动，b）影响意见；3）最佳方法：a）有充分的事实准备，b）解决 COVID-19 以外的社区健康需求，c）表现出同理心，d）通过动机访谈“在他们所在的地方”，e）建立信任和联系；4）挑战：a）疫苗指导方针的变化，b）疫苗错误信息，c）对 COVID-19 疾病严重程度和疫苗益处的不同看法，d）来自可信赖来源的沟通中断，e）参与的结构性障碍。
父母和照顾者是提供有关 COVID-19 和其他健康挑战的循证信息的资源。为了有效地将父母和照顾者培养成公共卫生大使，必须提供有关参与策略的培训，识别和打击错误信息，并在应对挑战时提供支持。VaxUpPhillyFamilies 计划是未来公共卫生运动的典范。
