Encouraging COVID-19 vaccination via an evolutionary theoretical approach: A randomized controlled study in Japan.
Tsuyoshi Okuhara, Hiroko Okada, Eiko Goto and 3 others
PMID 35216853WHAT IT FOUND
The kin care and disease avoidance messages did not differ in increasing intention to receive COVID-19 vaccination among hesitant parents; both were higher than a control message.
Only intention was measured.
Key findings
01Both the kin care message and the disease avoidance message increased intention to receive COVID-19 vaccination compared with the control message.
02The two active messages did not differ from each other on intention to receive vaccination.
03Both active messages also improved attitude toward vaccination compared with control, with no significant difference between them.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study measured vaccination intention right after message exposure, not actual vaccination behavior. The control message was not about COVID-19, so it is unclear whether the motive framing itself caused the change. The manipulation check did not clearly show that the kin care message activated kin care more than control; the disease avoidance motive increased in both message groups. Participants were Japanese parents recruited online, and 77% were female with 45% having education beyond university, so the results may not apply to other groups. The kin care message narrator was male, while about 70% of participants were female, which may have reduced the message effect. It is unclear how carefully participants read the messages.
Declared interests
Funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI grant 19K10615. The authors declared no known competing financial interests or personal relationships.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that these messages will make parents get vaccinated. The study measured intention right after message exposure, not actual vaccination behavior.