Implementing a co-design approach to facilitate a COVID-19 vaccination rapid response

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Community Engagement
• Health Communication

Background:

• Meaningful community engagement relies on local collaborations and accessible information.
• Academic partnerships can utilize co-design with community organizations, even during public health emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Co-design fosters trust, resource sharing, and incorporates diverse perspectives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the co-design process for developing COVID-19 vaccination communication products.
• To support COVID-19 vaccination messaging and behavioral nudges for LGBTQ+ populations and local health improvement coalitions.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of co-design in emergency conditions.

Main Methods:

• Established relationships with national LGBTQ+ organizations and state health improvement coalitions.
• Activated existing partnerships to support COVID-19 vaccination messaging.
• Developed customized, plain-language, and primary-language communication products through co-design.

Main Results:

• Enhanced partner communication capacity and rapid development of tailored vaccination products.
• Sustained collaborative relationships and active co-development over 12 months.
• High partner satisfaction with the co-design process and diverse communication materials.

Conclusions:

• The project demonstrates the value of combining communication expertise with co-design for public health initiatives.
• Robust evaluation of co-design effectiveness was integrated throughout the project.
• Co-design, while time-consuming, can be adapted for rapid response and tailored product development during emergencies, requiring strong dissemination infrastructure.