Using a Global Pandemic as a Teachable Moment to Promote Vaccine Literacy and Build Resilience to Misinformation
Bibliographic Data
Vaccination against infectious disease has been recognized as one of the Ten Greatest Public Health Achievements of the 20th century, given the substantial impact immunizations have had globally across a range of diseases, including polio, influenza, pneumonia, measles, mumps, rubella, viral hepatitis, pertussis, and oncogenic human papillomarvirus 1 Populationlevel vaccination programs have resulted in significant declines of new cases of disease, decreased morbidity and mortality, lower health care costs, and improved productivity 1 However, despite the proven clinical and cost effectiveness of vaccination, vaccines have not yet achieved their full potential, as rates of immunization among children and adults remain suboptimal, leading to a resurgence ofsome infectious diseases (e g , measles) [ ]recent polls suggest that many Americans do not plan to get a COVID-19 vaccine when one becomes available [ ]we specifically focus on strategies and research ideas for addressing vaccine literacy and hesitancy Proactive and coordinated communication efforts (e g , public awareness campaigns) emphasizing the phases of vaccine development, Food and Drug Administration oversight, and adverse event reporting systems could increase confidence in vaccine safety and effectiveness 2 In addition to increasing knowledge about vaccines, efforts to promote vaccine literacy should support the public's ability to critically evaluate health information, strengthen numeracy skills, and instill an appreciation of the complexity of scientific research 3 Strategies for cultivating vaccine literacy could include tailored patient- and parent- provider communication during clinical encounters, targeted media campaigns, peer-to-peer vaccine education, school-based health and science courses, and community-delivered educational programs (e g , churches, social services, cooperative extension programs) 4 Although increasing the public's knowledge about vaccines will be vital, perhaps the greatest challenge facing vaccine literacy efforts is the proliferation of vaccine misinformation online [ ]we recognize that many of these proposed intervention strategies have limitations (e g , limited efficacy among individuals with entrenched beliefs, insufficient reach);therefore, communication efforts should be combined with policy-based approaches- such as school and workplace immunization requirements- that establish vaccination as the default option for individuals and families and disincentivize individuals from refusing vaccinations
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) · Disease · Environmental health · Family medicine · Health care · Health literacy · Infectious disease (medical specialty) · Measles · Misinformation · Pandemic · Political science · Public health · Vaccination · Immunology · Medicine · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Nursing · Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy · Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research
Conceptualizing the Covid-19 Pandemic
The Development and Preliminary Application of the Chinese Version of the Covid-19 Vaccine Literacy Scale
Pre-Vaccination Covid-19 Vaccine Literacy in a Croatian Adult Population
Beyond health regulations
Debate in Public Versus Independent Secondary Schools in New York City
| Unique citing works | 5 |
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| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2021 - 2023 (3) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |