Building Cognitive Resilience to Vaccine Misinformation Using AI in Europe

NCT07551986 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: LSHTM32877
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 5,000
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

This multi-country trial evaluates an AI chatbot designed to counter cognitive biases and inoculate parents against vaccine misinformation, embedded within a large survey across five European countries (n=5,000). Scaled from a 2026 single-country study, outcomes compare behavioural and attitudinal responses against standard-of-care materials (e.g., UNICEF infographics) to identify effective, scalable misinformation interventions.

Conditions

Healthy

Keywords

childhood vaccine; AI; chatbot; randomized controlled trial

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Parental susceptibility to misinformation about childhood vaccination

  The primary outcome of this study will assess parental susceptibility to misinformation about childhood vaccination, defined as parents' ability to accurately distinguish between true and false vaccine-related information. This will be measured using ten statements on childhood vaccines, including four true and six false, rumour-related statements. Two of the rumour-related statements correspond to each of the three misinformation tactics introduced by the chatbot and the UNICEF infographic. This measure reflects parents' ability to identify misinformation containing manipulation tactics they were inoculated against and to distinguish true from false information regarding childhood vaccination. Responses will be recorded as "True", "False", or "Don't know". A composite misinformation susceptibility score will be calculated based on the number of correct responses, with higher scores indicating greater ability to identify vaccine misinformation accurately.

  Through study completion, an average of 20-30 minutes

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Self-efficacy

  Through study completion, an average of 20-30 minutes

Study Arms (2)

AI-driven chatbot

EXPERIMENTAL

An interactive, web-based, AI-driven chatbot intervention designed to counter vaccine misinformation. It can be accessed via a personal computer, tablet, or mobile device through a web- browser link.

Behavioral: AI-driven chatbot

Social media infographic

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

A UNICEF social media infographic with three "myth vs. fact" statements on vaccination that correspond to the same misinformation tactics explained by the MindShield chatbot.

Behavioral: Social media infographic

Interventions

AI-driven chatbot BEHAVIORAL

A tailored AI-driven chatbot designed to counter vaccine misinformation.

AI-driven chatbot

Social media infographic BEHAVIORAL

A UNICEF social media infographic with three "myth vs. fact" statements on vaccination.

Social media infographic

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 20 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Parents or caregivers with children under 18 years old in the five target countries (UK, Netherlands, Croatia, Latvia, and Slovakia); and
• Those who have regular access to a digital device and the internet

Sponsors & Collaborators

• London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine: lead

Study Officials

• Leesa Lin, PhD

  London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Leesa Lin, PhD

CONTACT

+44 (0)20 7636 8636; Leesa.Lin@lshtm.ac.uk

Kana Kobayashi, MSPH

CONTACT

Kana.Kobayashi@lshtm.ac.uk

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 20, 2026
• First Posted: April 27, 2026
• Study Start: April 1, 2026
• Primary Completion: April 1, 2026
• Study Completion: April 1, 2026
• Last Updated: May 1, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04