April 4-6, 2024 • Hyatt Regency • Lexington, KY
Innovations in Health Communication
Innovations in Health Communication
Abstract: Using Tailored Narratives to Counter COVID Misinformation
Abstract:
Objectives. This study empirically tested the efficacy of a short culturally tailored dramatic narrative promoting COVID-19 vaccination in changing attitudes and behavioral intent among unvaccinated Latinas and African American women.
Methods. A pretest-posttest online experiment involving 303 unvaccinated Latina and Black women between the ages of 18 to 39 evaluated the impact a 6-minute narrative featuring Latina characters countering 6 prevalent myths about COVID-19 vaccines.
Results. At posttest, after viewing Of Reasons and Rumors, participants showed a significant increase in knowledge of the 6 key facts, intent to get vaccinated within the next 30 days, and talking to their doctor about vaccination. Importantly, there were no significant differences between the Latina and AA participants suggesting that the theme of family and the COVID-related information was equally relevant.
Conclusions: Using engaging stories to promote healthy behaviors such as vaccination can be an effective way of reaching resistant audiences.
Objectives. This study empirically tested the efficacy of a short culturally tailored dramatic narrative promoting COVID-19 vaccination in changing attitudes and behavioral intent among unvaccinated Latinas and African American women.
Methods. A pretest-posttest online experiment involving 303 unvaccinated Latina and Black women between the ages of 18 to 39 evaluated the impact a 6-minute narrative featuring Latina characters countering 6 prevalent myths about COVID-19 vaccines.
Results. At posttest, after viewing Of Reasons and Rumors, participants showed a significant increase in knowledge of the 6 key facts, intent to get vaccinated within the next 30 days, and talking to their doctor about vaccination. Importantly, there were no significant differences between the Latina and AA participants suggesting that the theme of family and the COVID-related information was equally relevant.
Conclusions: Using engaging stories to promote healthy behaviors such as vaccination can be an effective way of reaching resistant audiences.