Communication interventions to reduce parental vaccine hesitancy: A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Immunization Practices
• Health Communication

Background:

• Vaccine hesitancy among parents and caregivers is a significant public health concern, potentially leading to decreased vaccination rates and disease outbreaks.
• The effectiveness of various communication strategies, especially remote online methods, in addressing vaccine hesitancy remains unclear.
• This systematic review focuses on identifying impactful communication interventions for reducing vaccine hesitancy in parents and caregivers of young children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and identify effective communication interventions for reducing vaccine hesitancy in parents and caregivers of young children.
• To evaluate the impact and effectiveness of different communication modalities on vaccine hesitancy.
• To provide evidence-based insights for public health officials and clinicians.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive search of multiple online databases was conducted on April 1st, 2022, and March 18th, 2024.
• Included studies focused on communication interventions aimed at reducing vaccine hesitancy in parents/caregivers of young children, excluding those for adolescent or adult vaccines.
• Potential biases and limitations of the included studies were critically evaluated.

Main Results:

• Out of 3873 identified articles, 33 studies met the inclusion criteria.
• Twenty-five of the included studies demonstrated the effectiveness of communication interventions in reducing vaccine hesitancy.
• Effective interventions included 11 in-person and interactive, 11 neither in-person nor interactive, 3 interactive but not in-person, and 2 in-person but not interactive.

Conclusions:

• Communication interventions are effective in reducing vaccine hesitancy and increasing childhood vaccine coverage.
• In-person and interactive communication strategies appear particularly effective in mitigating vaccine hesitancy.
• Further research is necessary to understand the specific components driving intervention success across diverse settings.