Social media, vaccine hesitancy and trust deficit in immunization programs: a qualitative enquiry in Malappuram District of Kerala, India
| Autor: | Chitra Grace, Kamala Swarnam, Sreekutty Sreekumar, Jinbert Lordson, A Marthanda Pillai, Shaffi Fazaludeen Koya, Minu Abraham, Priya Chembon, Anant Kumar Pandey, Kesavan Rajasekharan Nayar, Anoop T Nair |
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| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Health Knowledge
Attitudes Practice Anti-vaccine messages Vaccine resistance Trust Health administration Social media Health care Humans Child Vaccine hesitancy Health policy Vaccines Trust deficit Immunization Programs business.industry Research Health Policy Vaccination Public sector Health services research Patient Acceptance of Health Care Public relations Focus group Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 business Psychology Qualitative research |
| Zdroj: | Health Research Policy and Systems, Vol 19, Iss S2, Pp 1-8 (2021) Health Research Policy and Systems |
| ISSN: | 1478-4505 |
| DOI: | 10.1186/s12961-021-00698-x |
| Popis: | 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. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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