How text message reminders increase COVID-19 booster vaccine uptake: Two randomized controlled trials

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Vaccinology
• Health Communication

Background:

• Vaccines are crucial for disease prevention, yet achieving widespread vaccine uptake remains a challenge.
• Optimizing vaccine uptake requires effective communication strategies, particularly for booster doses.
• Text message reminders are a potential tool to enhance vaccine accessibility and adherence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of different text message reminder strategies on COVID-19 booster uptake.
• To determine the long-term effectiveness of these text message interventions.
• To assess the correlation between self-reported vaccination intentions and actual vaccine uptake.

Main Methods:

• Two large sequential randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving over 140,000 participants in the Netherlands.
• Analysis of various text message content and framing on COVID-19 booster uptake.
• Assessment of message effectiveness over time and moderation by participant response to prompts.

Main Results:

• Text messages with an ownership frame significantly increased vaccine uptake compared to no message (OR=1.28).
• Messages combining an ownership frame with a specific date, time, and location yielded the highest uptake (OR=2.10).
• The positive effects of tailored messages persisted over time, and positive intent strongly predicted actual uptake.

Conclusions:

• Text message reminders are a viable and effective strategy to increase vaccine uptake.
• Personalized messages, including specific logistical details, are the most impactful intervention.
• Public Health authorities should integrate these evidence-based text message strategies into vaccination campaigns.