Promoting COVID-19 Vaccination Using the Health Belief Model: Does Information Acquisition from Divergent Sources...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Communication
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• COVID-19 vaccine promotion is crucial for pandemic control but faces significant challenges globally.
• Understanding effective information dissemination channels is vital for increasing vaccine uptake.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify effective sources for COVID-19 vaccine information dissemination.
• To examine the role of health beliefs in transforming information acquisition into vaccination intention.

Main Methods:

• An online survey was conducted in China.
• Structural equation modeling was used to analyze data based on the Health Belief Model (HBM).

Main Results:

• Perceived benefits and cues to action positively influenced vaccination intentions; perceived barriers negatively influenced them.
• Perceived susceptibility and severity did not significantly relate to vaccination intentions.
• New media and interpersonal interactions were more effective than traditional media in promoting vaccination intention via health beliefs.

Conclusions:

• Health officials should prioritize new media and interpersonal channels for COVID-19 vaccine promotion campaigns.
• Tailoring information dissemination strategies based on HBM constructs can enhance vaccine promotion effectiveness.