‘Getting the vaccine makes me a champion of it’

Exploring perceptions towards peer‐to‐peer communication about the Covid‐19 vaccines amongst Australian adults

Bibliographic Data

ID19508179
AuthorsJoshua Karras (0000-0001-8943-2392, School of Population Health University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia, corresponding author), Mia Harrison (0000-0001-8629-9901, Centre for Social Research in Health (CSRH) University of New South Wales Kensington New South Wales Australia), Holly Seale (0000-0002-1877-5395, School of Population Health University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia)
Year2023
Volume26
Issue4
Pages1505-1513
Publication date2023-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHealth Expectations (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1369-6513 • E-ISSN: 1369-7625
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/hex.13751
PMID37132297
OpenAlexW4367834825
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited20

OBJECTIVES: Peer-to-peer communication approaches have been previously described as the 'power of personal referral'. Rather than relying on official channels of information, peer-to-peer communication may have a role in supporting changes in understanding and possibly behaviours. However, in emergency or pandemic situations, there is currently limited understanding of whether community members feel comfortable speaking about their vaccine experiences or advocating to others. This study explored the perceptions of COVID-19 vaccinated and unvaccinated Australian adults regarding their preferences and opinions about peer-peer communication and other vaccine communication strategies. STUDY DESIGN: Qualitative interview research. METHODS: In-depth interviews were conducted in September 2021 with 41 members of the Australian community. Thirty-three participants self-identified as being vaccinated against COVID-19, while the remainder were not vaccinated at the time or did not intend on receiving a COVID vaccine. RESULTS: Amongst those who were vaccinated, participants spoke about being willing to promote the vaccine and correct misinformation and felt empowered following their vaccination. They highlighted the importance of peer-to-peer communication and community messaging, expressing the need for both strategies in an immunisation promotional campaign, with a slight emphasis on the persuasive power of communication between family and friends. However, those who were unvaccinated tended to dismiss the role of community messaging, commenting on a desire not to be like one of the many who listened to the advice of others. CONCLUSION: During emergency situations, governments and other relevant community organisations should consider harnessing peer-to-peer communication amongst motivated individuals as a health communication intervention. However further work is needed to understand the support that this constituent-involving strategy requires. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Participants were invited to participate through a series of online promotional pathways including emails and social media posts. Those who completed the expression of interest and met the study criteria were contacted and sent the full study participant information documentation. A time for a 30 min semi-structured interview was set and provided with a $50 gift voucher at the conclusion

Champion · Interpersonal communication · Misinformation · Perception · Political science · Public relations · Qualitative research · Sociology · COVID-19 and Mental Health · Medicine · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Psychology · Social Psychology · Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy

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