Exploring First Responder Beliefs and Decisions to Vaccinate Against SARS-COV-2.

As frontline providers, first responders are not always thought of as patients with unique health beliefs. During early and continued distribution, many first responders in the United States chose to refuse vaccination. Guided by the health belief model and emerging research related to SARS-COV-2, the aim of this study was to further explore the complex message conditions that contributed to first responders' early vaccination decisions. An online survey was conducted between March 1 and March 31 2021, among first responders in the state of Kentucky, which has lagged behind most states in the percentage of the population who are fully vaccinated. The first responder sample included Firefighters, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), and paramedics who completed a Qualtrics survey that included measures aimed at assessing health beliefs about SARS-COV-2, beliefs about SARS-COV-2 vaccines, source trustworthiness, and vaccine motivation. First responders were also asked to rank the importance of various information sources about SARS-COV-2 and its vaccines. Findings suggest significant differences exist among first responders who have chosen to receive SARS-COV-2 vaccines and those who have refused, including source preference, conspiracy beliefs, and perceived risk. Future directions, including the exploration of institutional mistrust as a health belief are discussed. These findings offer practical insights that may improve continuing approaches to discover and use preferred communication sources to reach the vaccine-hesitant.

A student-driven HIV/PrEP communication intervention using a modified social network strategy.

OBJECTIVE: The authors examined college students' experiences of providing peer-education, using the modified Social Network Strategy (SNS). PARTICIPANTS: Ninety-six college students participated this project during the 2018 academic year, drawn from a large, Mid-Southern urban university. METHODS: Students who administered the HIV-PrEP health intervention completed a cross-sectional assessment about their experiences in the project. A series of open-ended prompts garnered written narrative responses. We utilized a qualitative content analysis to identify SNS codes and their frequencies. RESULTS: Student responses were overwhelmingly supportive of the community engagement project. Student narratives featured the health communication intervention with peers most often (44.4%: counseling, testing, and referral communication), followed by influences on themselves (28.7%; what he/she learned, influences on student health and choices). CONCLUSIONS: A modified SNS demonstrated in this project reveals its utility in supporting undergraduates in the delivery of HIV/PrEP training in the 7th highest HIV transmission area in the nation.