Clinical trial NCT05994820: Chatbot-based Intervention to Promote Vaccine Acceptance in Varansi, India
Official title: Implementing and Evaluating a Chatbot-based Intervention to Promote Vaccine Acceptance in Varansi, India
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Vaccine Hesitancy
Keywords: Health Communication
Chatbot
Social Networks
Lead sponsor: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2023-08-16
Enrollment: 2058
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: OTHER

Brief summary: The goal of this clinical trial is to learn compare the efficacy Chatbot messaging directed to parents of infants and children living in unstable urban housing (UUH) in Varansi, India. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1) Can a Chatbot intervention be used to improve attitudes towards childhood vaccines? 2) Does an intervention in which vaccination is presented in the larger context of well-being improve attitudes towards vaccination?

Detailed description: Only 2/3 of Indian infants and children are fully immunized. In communities facing unstable urban housing (UUH) vaccination rates are even lower. COVID-19 introduced new challenges for community health workers in these areas, and many do not have the capacity to promote vaccination. At the same time, the pandemic also prompted more parents and caregivers to engage with smartphones to manage the child's health. The investigators believe that a WhatsApp-based Chatbot intervention may be an effective way to promote routine childhood vaccination among caregivers without creating additional burdens on community health workers. To test this, the investigators are developing the Happy Baby Programme. This programme will be disseminated as a Chatbot through WhatsApp to parents of infants and young children living in Varanasi, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. In addition to testing the overall efficacy of a Chatbot messaging platform, the investigators will compare two different Chatbot messaging designs, one featuring vaccine-only messaging and a second that positions vaccines as part of a broader set of well-being practices.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Speak Hindi;
* Reside in selected UUH neighborhood of Varanasi, India;
* Identify as a caregiver of a young child (\<2) OR be at least 5 months pregnant and due to giver birth during the study period;
* Child is registered with local community health workers and included on patient rosters for vaccination clinics (also known as Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Days (VHSNDs));
* Have regular access to a phone with WhatsApp.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Only one caregiver is eligible per household
* Not meeting inclusion criteria.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Post Intervention Vaccine Intentions
timeFrame: 4 months
measure: Post Intervention Vaccine Attitudes
timeFrame: 4 months
measure: Post Intervention Vaccine Hesitancy
timeFrame: 4 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Parental Awareness of Vaccine Services
timeFrame: 4 months
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Dwārka
country: India
facility: D-COR (Development Corner) Consulting
state: New Delhi
Study officials:
affiliation: Johns Hopkins University
name: Rajiv N Rimal, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: