Clinical trial NCT05085613: Does Framing and Humor Improve the Effectiveness of Messages About COVID-19 Vaccine
Official title: A Randomized Controlled Trial Testing the Efficacy of Humor and Framing in Messaging to Correct Misperceptions About COVID-19 Vaccines
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Beliefs
Lead sponsor: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2021-10-20
Enrollment: 100
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 21
Maximum age (years): 99
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: Model Description: Participants will be randomized to view one of four messages. The control message explains why people are hesitant to accept the FDA authorized COVID vaccines are safe and effective and how they are evaluated. Arm 2 additionally includes consequent framing regarding economic recovery (e.g. "If everyone gets vaccinated, we can keep schools, stores, and other businesses open so more Americans can keep working and supporting their families." With a picture of an "open for business" sign), arm 3 includes consequent framing regarding freedom to behave as one chooses (e.g. "Everyone getting vaccinated is the key to freedom! A vaccine can give us the freedom to hang out with friends, shop, and worship together again safely." With a picture of an American flag), and arm 4 includes humor (e.g. "Unfortunately, everyone getting vaccinated means leaving the house again.").
Primary purpose: OTHER

Brief summary: This study seeks to assess the efficacy of educational messages to correct misperceptions. People hold a number of misperceptions that are relevant to public health, including misperceptions regarding COVID vaccines. Some people incorrectly think the COVID vaccines authorized by FDA are not safe or effective. These misperceptions can reduce adherence to public health recommendations and result in continued spread of COVID. This study will test if humor and different types of framing increase the efficacy of messages to correct misperceptions about FDA's authorized coronavirus vaccine safety and effectiveness. The frames tested will include: framing the vaccine as a way to boost economic recovery and framing the vaccine as a way to increase freedom to choose how to behave. The addition of humor will also be tested. Message efficacy will be measured via improved accuracy of beliefs after being exposed to the message. In other words, participants will be asked how safe and effective FDA authorized COVID vaccines are before seeing a message, then they will see a message about why the COVID vaccines are safe and effective, and then they will again be asked how safe and effective they think the vaccines are. This study will also assess the accuracy of inferential beliefs. This will be accomplished by asking participants questions about other vaccines that either are or are not authorized by FDA. If participants have understood the messages and updated their mental models of how FDA evaluates vaccines, they should be able to infer if other vaccines are safe and effective based on their FDA authorization status.

Hypotheses

H1: Participants who are exposed to A.) a message with humor, B.) a message with an economic recovery fame, or C.) a message with a freedom frame will be more likely to increase their agreement with the statement that the FDA will only authorize coronavirus vaccines that are safe and effective after message exposure than participants exposed to the control condition.

H2: Participants who are exposed to A.) a message with humor, B.) a message with an economic recovery fame, or C.) a message with a freedom frame will agree more strongly with the statement that the FDA approved flu vaccine is safe and effective after message exposure than participants exposed to the control condition.

H3. Participants who are exposed to A.) a message with humor, B.) a message with an economic recovery fame, or C.) a message with a freedom frame will agree more strongly with the statement that the ResVax vaccine, which was not approved by the FDA for the treatment of RSV, is a safe and effective after message exposure than participants exposed to the control condition.

H4. Participants who are exposed to A.) a message with humor, B.) a message with an economic recovery fame, or C.) a message with a freedom frame will be more likely to increase behavioral intentions to get an FDA authorized COVID vaccine after message exposure than participants exposed to the control condition.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Are 21 years of age or older.
* Have not participated in the cognitive interview.
* Have not yet received a COVID vaccine.
* Are registered with MTurk in the United States.
* Have completed \>= 5,000 HIITs within the MTurk system
* Have a HIIT approval rating of \>= 97%
* Rate their agreement with the following statement as less than or equal to 50 out of 100: "To what extent do you agree with the following: "The FDA only authorizes COVID vaccines that are safe and effective."

Exclusion Criteria:

* Are younger than 21 years of age
* Participated in the cognitive interviews
* Have already received a COVID vaccine.
* Are not registered with MTurk in the US
* Have completed \< 5,000 HIITS
* Have a HIIT approval rating of \<97%
* Rate their agreement with the following statement as greater than 50 out of 100: "To what extent do you agree with the following: "The FDA only authorizes COVID vaccines that are safe and effective."

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in Accuracy of the Belief That FDA Authorized COVID-19 Vaccines Are Safe and Effective
timeFrame: Baseline and up to 5 minutes after receiving the corrective message
measure: Accuracy of Inferential Belief That the FDA Authorized Flu Vaccine is Safe and Effective
timeFrame: Up to 5 minutes after receiving the corrective message
measure: Accuracy of Inferential Belief That RexVax is Safe and Effective
timeFrame: Up to 5 minutes after receiving the corrective message
measure: Change in Intention to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine
timeFrame: Baseline and up to 5 minutes after receiving the corrective message
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Baltimore
country: United States
facility: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
state: Maryland
Study officials:
affiliation: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
name: Meghan Moran, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: