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Vaccines
Special Issues
Challenges in Communication of Vaccination
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Challenges in Communication of Vaccination

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "Human Vaccines and Public Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2025 | Viewed by 7384

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Itamar Grotto

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel
Interests: epidemiology; vaccination; public health; public health policy; infectious diseases
Dr. Ehud Kaliner

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Central District, Public Health Services, Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel
Interests: epidemiology; health economics; disease prevention and health promotion; immunization
Dr. Zoi Dorothea Pana

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Medicine, European University of Cyprus, Nicosia 2404, Cyprus
Interests: epidemiology; infection control and prevention; health technology assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, ECDC emphasized that traditional interventions are no longer seen as enough to effectively prevent and control vaccine-preventable diseases. Research shows that properly designed behavior-based health communication activities can have a significant positive impact on health-related attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. Health communication is an evolving field. There is evidence that communication can be an effective tool, if utilized in a carefully planned and integrated strategy, to influence the behaviors of populations on a number of health issues, including vaccine hesitancy. A communication strategy, incorporating an appropriate selection of the available communication tools, should be an integral part of every immunization program, addressing the specific factors that influence hesitancy in the target populations especially for underserved populations and minority groups.

Manuscripts reporting on vaccines communication and vaccine hesitancy in the general public, but also among specific groups such as children, pregnant women, at-risk patients, different cultural groups, and healthcare workers, and on strategies adopted to promote vaccination adherence by these categories are welcomed for this Special Issue.

This Special Issue encourages the submission of original articles, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, short communications, and other types of articles that describe measures and strategies to improve vaccination coverage in these categories that could be adapted in other settings and countries.

Prof. Dr. Itamar Grotto
Dr. Ehud Kaliner
Dr. Zoi Dorothea Pana
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • health communication
  • vaccination
  • vaccine hesitancy
  • at-risk populations
  • pandemic
  • healthcare workers

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 956 KiB  
Article
Assessing a Digital Scorecard on Global Immunization Progress: Stakeholder Views and Implications for Enhancing Performance and Accountability
by Rose Weeks, Padmini Vishwanath, Katy Atkins Stewart, Christine Liang, Oniovo Efe-Aluta, Folake Olayinka, Carolyn Inae Kim, Erlyn Macarayan, Lori Niehaus, Naor Bar-Zeev and Chizoba Wonodi
Vaccines 2024, 12(2), 193; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12020193 - 13 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1442
Abstract
Global health agencies and regional and national stakeholders collaborated to develop the Immunization Agenda 2030 Scorecard, a digital data visualization platform displaying global, regional, and country-level immunization progress. The scorecard serves to focus attention and enable strategic actions around the measures visualized. To [...] Read more.
Global health agencies and regional and national stakeholders collaborated to develop the Immunization Agenda 2030 Scorecard, a digital data visualization platform displaying global, regional, and country-level immunization progress. The scorecard serves to focus attention and enable strategic actions around the measures visualized. To assess the scorecard’s usability, appropriateness, and context for use, we interviewed 15 immunization officers working across five global regions. To further understand the implementation context, we also reviewed the characteristics of 15 public platforms visualizing population health data. We integrated thematic findings across both methods. Many platforms highlight service gaps and enable comparisons between geographies to foster political pressure for service improvements. We observed heterogeneity regarding the platforms’ focus areas and participants’ leading concerns, which were management capacity and resourcing. Furthermore, one-third of platforms were out of date. Results yielded recommendations for the scorecard, which participants felt was well suited to focus the attention of decision makers on key immunization data. A simpler design coupled with implementation strategies that more actively engage policymakers would better align the scorecard with other public platforms engaging intended users. For population health platforms to serve as effective accountability mechanisms, studying implementation determinants, including usability testing, is vital to meet stakeholder needs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges in Communication of Vaccination)
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12 pages, 621 KiB  
Article
The Challenges of Vaccine Trial Participation among Underserved and Hard-to-Reach Communities: An Internal Expert Consultation of the VACCELERATE Consortium
by Dimitrios Poulimeneas, Markela Koniordou, Dimitra Kousi, Christina Merakou, Ioannis Kopsidas, Grammatiki Christina Tsopela, Christos D. Argyropoulos, Sophia C. Themistocleous, George Shiamakkides, Marinos Constantinou, Alexandra Alexandrou, Evgenia Noula, Andria Nearchou, Jon Salmanton-García, Fiona A. Stewart, Sarah Heringer, Kerstin Albus, Elena Álvarez-Barco, Alan Macken, Romina Di Marzo, Catarina Luis, Paula Valle-Simón, Helena H. Askling, Margot Hellemans, Orly Spivak, Ruth Joanna Davis, Anna Maria Azzini, Imre Barta, Lenka Součková, Ligita Jancoriene, Murat Akova, Patrick W. G. Mallon, Ole F. Olesen, Jesus Frias-Iniesta, Pierre van Damme, Krisztina Tóth, Miriam Cohen-Kandli, Rebecca Jane Cox, Petr Husa, Pontus Nauclér, Laura Marques, Jordi Ochando, Evelina Tacconelli, Markus Zeitlinger, Oliver A. Cornely, Zoi Dorothea Pana and Theoklis E. Zaoutisadd Show full author list remove Hide full author list
Vaccines 2023, 11(12), 1784; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11121784 - 29 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2591
Abstract
Underserved and hard-to-reach population groups are under-represented in vaccine trials. Thus, we aimed to identify the challenges of vaccine trial participation of these groups in member countries of the VACCELERATE network. Seventeen National Coordinators (NC), each representing their respective country (15 European countries, [...] Read more.
Underserved and hard-to-reach population groups are under-represented in vaccine trials. Thus, we aimed to identify the challenges of vaccine trial participation of these groups in member countries of the VACCELERATE network. Seventeen National Coordinators (NC), each representing their respective country (15 European countries, Israel, and Turkey), completed an online survey. From 15 eligible groups, those that were more frequently declared underserved/hard-to-reach in vaccine research were ethnic minorities (76.5%), persons experiencing homelessness (70.6%), illegal workers and refugees (64.7%, each). When prioritization for education on vaccine trials was considered, ethnic groups, migrants, and immigrants (5/17, 29.4%) were the groups most frequently identified by the NC as top targets. The most prominent barriers in vaccine trial participation affecting all groups were low levels of health literacy, reluctance to participate in trials due to engagement level, and low levels of trust in vaccines/vaccinations. This study highlighted population groups considered underserved/hard-to-reach in countries contained within the European region, and the respective barriers these groups face when participating in clinical studies. Our findings aid with the design of tailored interventions (within—and across—countries of the European region) and with the development of strategies to overcome major barriers in phase 2 and phase 3 vaccine trial participation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges in Communication of Vaccination)
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21 pages, 480 KiB  
Article
Association between Religious Beliefs and HPV Vaccination Attitudes among College Students
by Hannah Hittson, Leah McAleer, Lydia Saucedo, Lindsay Mahler, Gabriel Andino, Andie Zorba, Sarah Walden, Brett E. Pickett, Brian D. Poole and Erika L. Abel
Vaccines 2023, 11(10), 1623; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11101623 - 21 Oct 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2566
Abstract
Objective and Participants: The authors sought an updated examination of attitudes toward Human Papillomavirus (HPV) catch-up vaccination among college students at a private religious university. Methods: A total of 1557 college students completed a 62-question survey of religious and HPV vaccination attitudes during [...] Read more.
Objective and Participants: The authors sought an updated examination of attitudes toward Human Papillomavirus (HPV) catch-up vaccination among college students at a private religious university. Methods: A total of 1557 college students completed a 62-question survey of religious and HPV vaccination attitudes during the fall of 2021. Students’ willingness to receive catch-up HPV vaccination and willingness to vaccinate a future child against HPV were recorded. Results: Of the 46.8% of students who reported being unvaccinated or unaware of vaccination status, ~26% reported being uninterested in receiving catch-up HPV vaccination; ~22% of all students surveyed reported being unwilling to vaccinate a future child against HPV. The strongest predictors of vaccine hesitancy included religious concerns about sexual abstinence and safety concerns. Conclusions: College health professionals can increase the rate of HPV vaccination among college students and subsequent future generations by addressing the safety and utility of the vaccine regardless of intentions for sexual abstinence prior to marriage. Additionally, rather than a uniform approach to all students who self-identify as Christian, an effort to identify and discuss the unique religiously influenced beliefs of individual students is recommended when discussing HPV vaccination. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges in Communication of Vaccination)
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