NCT05422898

Discussing COVID-19 Vaccines in Private Facebook Groups

Empathic Engagement With the COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitant in Private Facebook Groups

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 508 (actual)
• Sponsor: George Washington University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

As the COVID-19 pandemic persists, a sizable proportion of the U.S. population remains unvaccinated and at high risk of death and serious illness from COVID-19. Vaccine hesitancy, fueled by the proliferation of vaccine misinformation on social media, is one factor contributing to lack of vaccination. Current attempts to overcome vaccine misinformation focus on correcting or debunking falsehoods. Although debunking strategies are important components to any public health campaign, communications must also address rationales for vaccine hesitancy that vary among individuals and communities, and directly address the gist of their concerns in an empathetic, non-judgmental manner. We will conduct a randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of empathic, relationship-building interactions relative to standard provision of information on social media to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

Conditions

• COVID-19

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Gist messages on COVID-19 vaccination	Participants will receive gist-based messages on COVID-19 vaccines and have their concerns addressed by a group moderator
BEHAVIORAL	COVID-19 vaccine information	Participants will receive a link to the Facebook COVID-19 Information Center via a private Facebook Group

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-01-17
• Primary completion: 2022-04-04
• Completion: 2022-04-04
• First posted: 2022-06-21
• Last updated: 2022-06-21

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States