Development, theoretical framework, and lessons learned from implementation of a school-based influenza vaccination...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Education
• Vaccinology

Background:

• The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends annual influenza vaccination for individuals aged 6 months to 18 years.
• School-based interventions offer a promising strategy to increase influenza vaccination coverage, especially in underserved rural populations.
• Adolescents, particularly those in rural areas, represent a hard-to-reach demographic for vaccination efforts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and implementation of a multicomponent, theory-based intervention to promote influenza vaccine acceptance among rural, multiethnic adolescents.
• To evaluate the process of creating a culturally relevant and low-cost educational intervention through active community engagement.
• To identify lessons learned from the first year of implementing a school-based influenza vaccination intervention.

Main Methods:

• The intervention was developed using constructs from the Health Belief Model and social norms theory.
• Adolescents, parents, and school administrators actively participated in the intervention's design and implementation.
• The educational component included a brochure and a school-based skit/presentation tailored to the target audience's cultural and literacy needs.

Main Results:

• The intervention development process successfully created a low-cost, theory-based educational program.
• Community engagement ensured the intervention met the cultural relevance and literacy requirements of the target population.
• Process evaluation indicated successful community investment and tailored educational content.

Conclusions:

• Engaging middle and high school students and parents in designing influenza vaccination interventions is feasible and effective.
• Theory-based, community-involved educational strategies can enhance influenza vaccine acceptance among rural adolescents.
• This study represents a novel approach by extensively involving the target audience in developing vaccination education.