Social media, vaccine hesitancy and trust deficit in immunization programs: a qualitative enquiry in Malappuram District of Kerala, India.
Health Res Policy Syst
; 19(Suppl 2): 56, 2021 Aug 11.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34380514
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
With increased penetration of the internet and social media, there are concerns regarding its negative role in influencing parents' decisions regarding vaccination for their children. It is perceived that a mix of religious reasons and propaganda by anti-vaccination groups on social media are lowering the vaccination coverage in Malappuram district of Kerala. We undertook a qualitative study to understand the factors responsible for generating and perpetuating vaccine hesitancy, the pathways of trust deficit in immunization programs and the interaction between various social media actors.METHODS:
In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted among parents/caregivers, physicians, public sector health staff, alternative system medical practitioners, field healthcare workers and teachers in areas with highest and lowest vaccination coverage in the district, as well as with communication experts.RESULTS:
The trust deficit between parents/caregivers and healthcare providers is created by multiple factors, such as providers' lack of technical knowledge, existing patriarchal societal norms and critical views of vaccine by naturopaths and homeopaths. Anti-vaccine groups use social media to influence caregivers' perceptions and beliefs. Religion does not appear to play a major role in creating vaccine resistance in this setting.CONCLUSIONS:
A long-term, multipronged strategy should be adopted to address the trust deficit. In the short to medium term, the health sector can focus on appropriate and targeted vaccine-related communication strategies, including the use of infographics, soft skills training for healthcare workers, technical competency improvement through a mobile application-based repository of information and creation of a media cell to monitor vaccine-related conversations in social media and to intervene if needed.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Vacinas
/
Mídias Sociais
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
/
Qualitative_research
Limite:
Child
/
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Health Res Policy Syst
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article