Discussing COVID-19 Vaccines in Private Facebook Groups

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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As the COVID-19 pandemic persists, a sizable proportion of the U.S. population remains unvaccinated and at high risk of death and serious illness from COVID-19. Vaccine hesitancy, fueled by the proliferation of vaccine misinformation on social media, is one factor contributing to lack of vaccination. Current attempts to overcome vaccine misinformation focus on correcting or debunking falsehoods. Although debunking strategies are important components to any public health campaign, communications must also address rationales for vaccine hesitancy that vary among individuals and communities, and directly address the gist of their concerns in an empathetic, non-judgmental manner. We will conduct a randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of empathic, relationship-building interactions relative to standard provision of information on social media to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

Official Title
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Empathic Engagement With the COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitant in Private Facebook Groups

Conditions
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COVID-19

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Gist messages on COVID-19 vaccination
* Behavioral: COVID-19 vaccine information


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: reside in the U.S. unvaccinated from COVID-19 Use Facebook regularly (at least 1/day) Exclusion Criteria: age <18 years do not reside in the U.S. vaccinated from COVID-19 do not use Facebook regularly (at least 1/day)

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Gist<br>Gist-based messages on COVID-19 vaccination and moderated group discussions in a private Facebook group | Behavioral: Gist messages on COVID-19 vaccination<br>* Participants will receive gist-based messages on COVID-19 vaccines and have their concerns addressed by a group moderator<br>|
| Placebo Comparator: Information<br>Link to Facebook COVID-19 Information Center | Behavioral: COVID-19 vaccine information<br>* Participants will receive a link to the Facebook COVID-19 Information Center via a private Facebook Group<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Engagement and satisfaction with the program | Engagement includes participation in the Facebook group; satisfaction=self-rated overall satisfaction with the program (7-point scale) | 4 weeks | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Proportion of participants getting the COVID-19 vaccine | self-reported vaccination status | 4 weeks | 
| Change in COVID-19 vaccination intention | Self-reported intention to get the COVID-19 vaccine (7-point scale) | 4 weeks | 
| Change in intention to encourage others to get the COVID-19 vaccine | Self-reported intention to encourage others to get the COVID-19 vaccine (7-point scale) | 4 weeks | 
| Change in COVID-19 vaccine confidence | Self-reported confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine (5-point scale) | 4 weeks | 
| Change in general vaccine confidence | Self-reported confidence in vaccines (7-point scale) | 4 weeks | 
| Change in vaccine hesitancy | Self-reported vaccine hesitancy (7-point scale | 4 weeks | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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vaccine hesitancy, social media, health behavior