Original ResearchSupporting informed decision-making about vaccination: an analysis of two official websites
Introduction
Vaccine hesitancy, defined as the reluctance to receive recommended vaccinations despite the availability of vaccination services,1 is a significant threat to the success of vaccination programs2 (World Health Organization [WHO] statement). It is often assumed that misinformation and rumors about vaccination found online is a leading cause of the increase in vaccine hesitancy.3, 4, 5 Internet has become an essential source of information for parents, and several quantitative studies showed that undertaking a detailed research on vaccination, using Internet and other sources of information, was strongly associated with intending not to vaccinate the child.6, 7, 8, 9 Qualitative studies also showed that most vaccine-hesitant parents highly valued the importance of being informed about vaccination before making a decision as well as their capacities to search and assess the information available online.10,11
The studies that have examined vaccination-related content on websites or social media platforms have shown that the quality of information is highly variable, with a substantial volume of anti-vaccine and inaccurate information.12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 As of today, most researches focused on the analysis of vaccine critical websites or arguments and tactics used against vaccination.13,16,19 Very little attention has been paid to the content and approaches used by health authorities to promote vaccination online.19,20
Public health professionals and front-line vaccine providers should rely on effective communication to inform parents about vaccine recommendations. More information alone is unlikely to dramatically change vaccine acceptance.21,22 But the communication of information is one of the primary tools at the disposal of public health professionals. Being informed about which vaccines are needed, for whom and when is the basis of the vaccination decision-making process. Given the amount of financial and human resources invested in developing and diffusing communication materials about vaccination, it is critical to understand how to optimize these tools to ensure that they work (or can be used) as intended. In this context, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the content of webpages on childhood vaccination of two official websites dedicated to vaccine promotion, in Québec and France, respectively.
Section snippets
Data collection: the Quebec and France websites
Two websites developed in Quebec and France by public health institutions to inform health professionals,c the parents, and the general public about vaccination were selected: Vaccination info-service (http://www.vaccination-info-service.fr/—France) and pages on vaccination on Québec.ca (https://www.quebec.ca/—Canada).
Results
In total, 32 webpages (27 from the French website and five from the Quebec website), 14 videos (six from the French website and eight from the Quebec website), and two infographics (both from the French website) were downloaded (Table 1). The webpages presenting general information on childhood vaccination were included, and webpages on specific vaccine and vaccination schedule were excluded from the analysis (Table 2).
Discussion
Success of public health policies interventions are closely related to social environment as well as health education that should be based on accurate information. The increasing use of Internet and social media as a source of health information, combined with the decreasing rates of vaccination have prompted the calls for the development of online communication strategies to address the needs and interests of vaccine-hesitant parents.16 Our analysis of two authoritative websites on vaccination
Ethical approval
Not required.
Funding
This work was supported by the Canadian Immunization Research Network.
Competing interest
None.
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