Intervention studies to encourage vaccination using narrative: a systematic scoping review protocol

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Communication
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Vaccine hesitancy is a significant global challenge, reducing immunization rates for critical vaccines like MMR, HPV, and COVID-19.
• Effective communication strategies are essential to combat vaccine hesitancy and improve public health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review analyzing studies on narrative interventions aimed at increasing vaccination uptake.
• To guide future research and the development of effective vaccine communication strategies.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature search across MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and PsycARTICLES, supplemented by reference list checks.
• Inclusion of studies quantitatively examining the persuasive impact of narratives on vaccination decisions.
• Systematic data extraction and synthesis by two independent reviewers, resolving discrepancies through consensus.

Main Results:

• The review synthesizes findings from studies that quantitatively assessed the effectiveness of narrative-based interventions in promoting vaccination.
• Extracted data includes study and participant characteristics, methodologies, key results, and theoretical underpinnings.

Conclusions:

• Narrative interventions show promise as a strategy to address vaccine hesitancy.
• This review provides a foundation for developing evidence-based communication approaches to enhance vaccine acceptance and coverage.