Framing and visual type: Effect on future Zika vaccine uptake intent

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Communication
• Vaccinology

Background:

• Zika virus is linked to microcephaly, a serious birth defect.
• No Zika vaccine was available in early 2017, but several were in development.
• Effective communication strategies are needed to promote vaccine uptake, especially among women of reproductive age.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify effective communication strategies for promoting Zika vaccine uptake.
• To examine the impact of message framing (gain vs. loss) and visual type (photo vs. infographic) on vaccine uptake intent.
• To assess influence on intermediate psychosocial variables related to vaccine intent.

Main Methods:

• A 2x2 between-subjects online experiment was conducted in 2017.
• 339 U.S. women (18-49 years) were exposed to one of four Instagram-style messages.
• Participants completed surveys on Zika vaccine uptake intent and psychosocial variables.

Main Results:

• No significant interaction or main effect of framing or visual type on vaccine uptake intent was found.
• Gain-framed messages significantly increased subjective norms (P=0.005) related to Zika vaccination.
• Gain-framed messages also increased perceived benefits (P=0.016) and self-efficacy (P=0.032).

Conclusions:

• Gain-framed messages appear more effective than loss-framed messages in enhancing psychosocial constructs influencing vaccine intent.
• This finding contrasts with traditional approaches favoring loss-framed messages for health behaviors.
• Further research may be needed to optimize Zika vaccine communication strategies.