“Community members have more impact on their neighbors than celebrities”: leveraging community partnerships to build COVID-19 vaccine confidence
Abstract Background Vaccines are a strong public health tool to protect against severe disease, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19. Still, inequities in COVID-19 vaccination rates and health outcomes continue to exist among Black and Latino populations. Boston Medical Center (BMC) has played a...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-02-01
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| Series: | BMC Public Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15198-6 |
| _version_ | 1797863370744922112 |
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| author | Maria Tjilos Autumn L. Tamlyn Elizabeth J. Ragan Sabrina A. Assoumou Katherine Gergen Barnett Petrina Martin Rebecca B. Perkins Benjamin P. Linas Mari-Lynn Drainoni |
| author_facet | Maria Tjilos Autumn L. Tamlyn Elizabeth J. Ragan Sabrina A. Assoumou Katherine Gergen Barnett Petrina Martin Rebecca B. Perkins Benjamin P. Linas Mari-Lynn Drainoni |
| author_sort | Maria Tjilos |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Vaccines are a strong public health tool to protect against severe disease, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19. Still, inequities in COVID-19 vaccination rates and health outcomes continue to exist among Black and Latino populations. Boston Medical Center (BMC) has played a significant role in vaccinating medically underserved populations, and organized a series of community-engaged conversations to better understand community concerns regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. This paper describes the themes which resulted from these community-engaged conversations and proposes next steps for healthcare leaders. Methods We accessed nine publicly available recordings of the community-engaged conversations which were held between March 2021 and September 2021 and ranged from 8 to 122 attendees. Six conversations prioritized specific groups: the Haitian-Creole community, the Cape Verdean community, the Latino community, the Black Christian Faith community, guardians who care for children living with disabilities, and individuals affected by systemic lupus erythematosus. Remaining conversations targeted the general public of the Greater Boston Area. We employed a Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research-driven codebook to code our data. Our analysis utilized a modified version of qualitative rapid analysis methods. Results Five main themes emerged from these community-engaged conversations: (1) Structural factors are important barriers to COVID-19 vaccination; (2) Mistrust exists due to the negative impact of systemic oppression and perceived motivation of the government; (3) There is a desire to learn more about biological and clinical characteristics of the COVID-19 vaccine as well as the practical implications of being vaccinated; (4) Community leaders emphasize community engagement for delivering COVID-19 information and education and; (5) Community leaders believe that the COVID-19 vaccine is a solution to address the pandemic. Conclusion This study illustrates a need for community-engaged COVID-19 vaccine messaging which reflects the nuances of the COVID-19 vaccine and pandemic without oversimplifying information. In highlighting common concerns of the Greater Boston Area which contribute to a lack of confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine, we underscore important considerations for public health and healthcare leadership in the development of initiatives which work to advance health equity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T22:34:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fb0ebe79db08433e837158cc72f63ba3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T22:34:31Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-fb0ebe79db08433e837158cc72f63ba32023-03-22T12:35:26ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582023-02-012311910.1186/s12889-023-15198-6“Community members have more impact on their neighbors than celebrities”: leveraging community partnerships to build COVID-19 vaccine confidenceMaria Tjilos0Autumn L. Tamlyn1Elizabeth J. Ragan2Sabrina A. Assoumou3Katherine Gergen Barnett4Petrina Martin5Rebecca B. Perkins6Benjamin P. Linas7Mari-Lynn Drainoni8Section of Infectious Diseases, Boston Medical CenterSection of Infectious Diseases, Boston Medical CenterSection of Infectious Diseases, Boston Medical CenterSection of Infectious Diseases, Boston Medical CenterDepartment of Family Medicine, Boston Medical CenterBoston Medical Center, Boston Medical Center Health SystemDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Boston University Chobanian & Edward Avedisian School of MedicineSection of Infectious Diseases, Boston Medical CenterSection of Infectious Diseases, Boston University Chobanian & Edward Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston Medical CenterAbstract Background Vaccines are a strong public health tool to protect against severe disease, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19. Still, inequities in COVID-19 vaccination rates and health outcomes continue to exist among Black and Latino populations. Boston Medical Center (BMC) has played a significant role in vaccinating medically underserved populations, and organized a series of community-engaged conversations to better understand community concerns regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. This paper describes the themes which resulted from these community-engaged conversations and proposes next steps for healthcare leaders. Methods We accessed nine publicly available recordings of the community-engaged conversations which were held between March 2021 and September 2021 and ranged from 8 to 122 attendees. Six conversations prioritized specific groups: the Haitian-Creole community, the Cape Verdean community, the Latino community, the Black Christian Faith community, guardians who care for children living with disabilities, and individuals affected by systemic lupus erythematosus. Remaining conversations targeted the general public of the Greater Boston Area. We employed a Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research-driven codebook to code our data. Our analysis utilized a modified version of qualitative rapid analysis methods. Results Five main themes emerged from these community-engaged conversations: (1) Structural factors are important barriers to COVID-19 vaccination; (2) Mistrust exists due to the negative impact of systemic oppression and perceived motivation of the government; (3) There is a desire to learn more about biological and clinical characteristics of the COVID-19 vaccine as well as the practical implications of being vaccinated; (4) Community leaders emphasize community engagement for delivering COVID-19 information and education and; (5) Community leaders believe that the COVID-19 vaccine is a solution to address the pandemic. Conclusion This study illustrates a need for community-engaged COVID-19 vaccine messaging which reflects the nuances of the COVID-19 vaccine and pandemic without oversimplifying information. In highlighting common concerns of the Greater Boston Area which contribute to a lack of confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine, we underscore important considerations for public health and healthcare leadership in the development of initiatives which work to advance health equity.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15198-6Community engagementCOVID-19Vaccine confidencePublic health messaging |
| spellingShingle | Maria Tjilos Autumn L. Tamlyn Elizabeth J. Ragan Sabrina A. Assoumou Katherine Gergen Barnett Petrina Martin Rebecca B. Perkins Benjamin P. Linas Mari-Lynn Drainoni “Community members have more impact on their neighbors than celebrities”: leveraging community partnerships to build COVID-19 vaccine confidence BMC Public Health Community engagement COVID-19 Vaccine confidence Public health messaging |
| title | “Community members have more impact on their neighbors than celebrities”: leveraging community partnerships to build COVID-19 vaccine confidence |
| title_full | “Community members have more impact on their neighbors than celebrities”: leveraging community partnerships to build COVID-19 vaccine confidence |
| title_fullStr | “Community members have more impact on their neighbors than celebrities”: leveraging community partnerships to build COVID-19 vaccine confidence |
| title_full_unstemmed | “Community members have more impact on their neighbors than celebrities”: leveraging community partnerships to build COVID-19 vaccine confidence |
| title_short | “Community members have more impact on their neighbors than celebrities”: leveraging community partnerships to build COVID-19 vaccine confidence |
| title_sort | community members have more impact on their neighbors than celebrities leveraging community partnerships to build covid 19 vaccine confidence |
| topic | Community engagement COVID-19 Vaccine confidence Public health messaging |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15198-6 |
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