Discussing COVID-19 Vaccines in Private Facebook Groups

NCT05422898 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: NCR213861
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 508
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

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.

Conditions

COVID-19

Keywords

vaccine hesitancy; social media; health behavior

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• 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 Outcomes (6)

• Proportion of participants getting the COVID-19 vaccine

  4 weeks

• Change in COVID-19 vaccination intention

  4 weeks

• Change in intention to encourage others to get the COVID-19 vaccine

  4 weeks

• Change in COVID-19 vaccine confidence

  4 weeks

• Change in general vaccine confidence

  4 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Gist

EXPERIMENTAL

Gist-based messages on COVID-19 vaccination and moderated group discussions in a private Facebook group

Behavioral: Gist messages on COVID-19 vaccination

Information

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Link to Facebook COVID-19 Information Center

Behavioral: COVID-19 vaccine information

Interventions

Gist messages on COVID-19 vaccination BEHAVIORAL

Participants will receive gist-based messages on COVID-19 vaccines and have their concerns addressed by a group moderator

Gist

COVID-19 vaccine information BEHAVIORAL

Participants will receive a link to the Facebook COVID-19 Information Center via a private Facebook Group

Information

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• reside in the U.S.
• unvaccinated from COVID-19
• Use Facebook regularly (at least 1/day)

You may not qualify if:

• age \<18 years
• do not reside in the U.S.
• vaccinated from COVID-19
• do not use Facebook regularly (at least 1/day)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• George Washington University: lead

Study Sites (1)

George Washington University

Washington D.C., District of Columbia, 20052, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

COVID-19; Vaccination Hesitancy; Health Behavior

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Pneumonia, Viral; Pneumonia; Respiratory Tract Infections; Infections; Virus Diseases; Coronavirus Infections; Coronaviridae Infections; Nidovirales Infections; RNA Virus Infections; Lung Diseases; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Vaccination Refusal; Treatment Refusal; Treatment Adherence and Compliance; Behavior

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 15, 2022
• First Posted: June 21, 2022
• Study Start: January 17, 2022
• Primary Completion: April 4, 2022
• Study Completion: April 4, 2022
• Last Updated: June 21, 2022

Record last verified: 2022-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)