Discussing COVID-19 Vaccines in Private Facebook Groups

COVID-19 Clinical Trial

Official title:

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

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT05422898
• Other study ID #: NCR213861
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: January 17, 2022
• Est. completion date: April 4, 2022

Study information

• Verified date: June 2022
• Source: George Washington University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial 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.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 508
• Est. completion date: April 4, 2022
• Est. primary completion date: April 4, 2022
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• reside in the U.S.
• unvaccinated from COVID-19
• Use Facebook regularly (at least 1/day)

Exclusion Criteria:

• age <18 years
• do not reside in the U.S.
• vaccinated from COVID-19
• do not use Facebook regularly (at least 1/day)

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• COVID-19

Intervention

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
• COVID-19 vaccine information
Participants will receive a link to the Facebook COVID-19 Information Center via a private Facebook Group

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	George Washington University	Washington	District of Columbia

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
George Washington University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Engagement and satisfaction with the program	Engagement includes participation in the Facebook group; satisfaction=self-rated overall satisfaction with the program (7-point scale)	4 weeks
Secondary	Proportion of participants getting the COVID-19 vaccine	self-reported vaccination status	4 weeks
Secondary	Change in COVID-19 vaccination intention	Self-reported intention to get the COVID-19 vaccine (7-point scale)	4 weeks
Secondary	Change in intention to encourage others to get the COVID-19 vaccine	Self-reported intention to encourage others to get the COVID-19 vaccine (7-point scale)	4 weeks
Secondary	Change in COVID-19 vaccine confidence	Self-reported confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine (5-point scale)	4 weeks
Secondary	Change in general vaccine confidence	Self-reported confidence in vaccines (7-point scale)	4 weeks
Secondary	Change in vaccine hesitancy	Self-reported vaccine hesitancy (7-point scale	4 weeks