Listening to Voices from African American Communities in the Southern States about COVID-19 Vaccine Information and Communication: A Qualitative Study
The high uptake of COVID-19 vaccines is one of the most promising measures to control the pandemic. However, some African American (AA) communities exhibit vaccination hesitancy due to mis- or disinformation. It is important to understand the challenges in accessing reliable COVID-19 vaccine informa...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Vaccines |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/10/7/1046 |
| _version_ | 1797443300074979328 |
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| author | Ran Zhang Shan Qiao Brooke W. McKeever Bankole Olatosi Xiaoming Li |
| author_facet | Ran Zhang Shan Qiao Brooke W. McKeever Bankole Olatosi Xiaoming Li |
| author_sort | Ran Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The high uptake of COVID-19 vaccines is one of the most promising measures to control the pandemic. However, some African American (AA) communities exhibit vaccination hesitancy due to mis- or disinformation. It is important to understand the challenges in accessing reliable COVID-19 vaccine information and to develop feasible health communication interventions based on voices from AA communities. We conducted 2 focus group discussions (FGDs) among 18 community stakeholders recruited from 3 counties in South Carolina on 8 October and 29 October 2021. The FGDs were conducted online via Zoom meetings. The FGD data were managed and thematically analyzed using NVivo 12. Participants worked primarily in colleges, churches, and health agencies. We found that the challenges of accessing reliable vaccine information in AA communities primarily included structural barriers, information barriers, and a lack of trust. Community stakeholders recommended recruiting trusted messengers, using social events to reach target populations, and conducting health communication campaigns through open dialogue among stakeholders. Health communication interventions directed at COVID-19 vaccine uptake should be grounded in ongoing community engagement, trust-building activities, and transparent communication about vaccine development. Tailoring health communication interventions to different groups may help reduce misinformation spread and thus promote vaccination in AA communities in the southern states. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:53:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8260357a406c4c7bb9e0a2eb2b9c4998 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-393X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:53:58Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Vaccines |
| spelling | doaj.art-8260357a406c4c7bb9e0a2eb2b9c49982023-11-30T22:02:41ZengMDPI AGVaccines2076-393X2022-06-01107104610.3390/vaccines10071046Listening to Voices from African American Communities in the Southern States about COVID-19 Vaccine Information and Communication: A Qualitative StudyRan Zhang0Shan Qiao1Brooke W. McKeever2Bankole Olatosi3Xiaoming Li4Department of Health Promotion Education and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, South Carolina SmartState Center for Healthcare Quality, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USADepartment of Health Promotion Education and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, South Carolina SmartState Center for Healthcare Quality, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USASchool of Journalism and Mass Communications, College of Information and Communications, Prevention Research Center, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USADepartment of Health Services Policy and Management, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USADepartment of Health Promotion Education and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, South Carolina SmartState Center for Healthcare Quality, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USAThe high uptake of COVID-19 vaccines is one of the most promising measures to control the pandemic. However, some African American (AA) communities exhibit vaccination hesitancy due to mis- or disinformation. It is important to understand the challenges in accessing reliable COVID-19 vaccine information and to develop feasible health communication interventions based on voices from AA communities. We conducted 2 focus group discussions (FGDs) among 18 community stakeholders recruited from 3 counties in South Carolina on 8 October and 29 October 2021. The FGDs were conducted online via Zoom meetings. The FGD data were managed and thematically analyzed using NVivo 12. Participants worked primarily in colleges, churches, and health agencies. We found that the challenges of accessing reliable vaccine information in AA communities primarily included structural barriers, information barriers, and a lack of trust. Community stakeholders recommended recruiting trusted messengers, using social events to reach target populations, and conducting health communication campaigns through open dialogue among stakeholders. Health communication interventions directed at COVID-19 vaccine uptake should be grounded in ongoing community engagement, trust-building activities, and transparent communication about vaccine development. Tailoring health communication interventions to different groups may help reduce misinformation spread and thus promote vaccination in AA communities in the southern states.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/10/7/1046COVID-19 vaccinesAfrican Americanmisinformationhealth communicationqualitative studyUSA |
| spellingShingle | Ran Zhang Shan Qiao Brooke W. McKeever Bankole Olatosi Xiaoming Li Listening to Voices from African American Communities in the Southern States about COVID-19 Vaccine Information and Communication: A Qualitative Study Vaccines COVID-19 vaccines African American misinformation health communication qualitative study USA |
| title | Listening to Voices from African American Communities in the Southern States about COVID-19 Vaccine Information and Communication: A Qualitative Study |
| title_full | Listening to Voices from African American Communities in the Southern States about COVID-19 Vaccine Information and Communication: A Qualitative Study |
| title_fullStr | Listening to Voices from African American Communities in the Southern States about COVID-19 Vaccine Information and Communication: A Qualitative Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Listening to Voices from African American Communities in the Southern States about COVID-19 Vaccine Information and Communication: A Qualitative Study |
| title_short | Listening to Voices from African American Communities in the Southern States about COVID-19 Vaccine Information and Communication: A Qualitative Study |
| title_sort | listening to voices from african american communities in the southern states about covid 19 vaccine information and communication a qualitative study |
| topic | COVID-19 vaccines African American misinformation health communication qualitative study USA |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/10/7/1046 |
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