Do tailored infographics increase flu shot intentions in hesitant individuals?

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Behavioral Science
• Health Communication

Background:

• Vaccine hesitancy interventions often show limited success among hesitant individuals.
• Generic interventions may be less effective than tailored approaches addressing specific reasons for vaccine opposition.
• The attitude-roots model suggests tailoring interventions to individual motivations enhances effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a tailored information intervention in increasing flu shot intentions.
• To test the proposition that interventions are more successful when aligned with specific reasons for vaccine hesitancy.

Main Methods:

• 1,021 participants rated vaccination statements and reported flu shot intentions.
• Participants received either a tailored infographic, a generic infographic, or no infographic.
• Flu shot intentions were measured at two time points.

Main Results:

• Flu shot intentions increased significantly with tailored infographics relevant to underlying motivations.
• The increase in intentions was not significantly greater compared to generic or no infographic groups.
• Exploratory analysis indicated tailoring effectiveness varied by motivation (e.g., unwarranted beliefs vs. religion).

Conclusions:

• Findings provide mixed support for tailored information interventions in boosting flu shot intentions.
• Further research is necessary to determine the viability of tailored strategies for reducing flu shot hesitancy.
• The effectiveness of tailoring may depend on the specific antivaccination motivation addressed.