KEYWORDS:
Health risk communication, vaccine safety, evaluation, knowledge, attitudes (KAB), hepatitis B vaccine

BACKGROUND:
Few published studies have examined how different health-risk message communication strategies can affect parents’ knowledge attitudes and behaviors (KABs) towards childhood immunization recommendations. Recent focus group research, surveys and materials from advocacy organizations suggests many parents hold significant misperceptions about vaccine safety and the need for childhood immunizations. Increased understanding of how immunizations “work” along with efforts to correct misperceptions have been considered key to strengthening the public trust in immunization recommendations and to ensuring high childhood immunization rates. Congressionally-mandated Vaccine Information Statements (VIS) are often the primary method of conveying benefits and risk information to parents. This research examines the effects of different benefit-risk communication approaches that could be incorporated into the VIS format or vaccine education materials.

OBJECTIVE(S):
Evaluate two approaches to presenting benefit-risk information on parents KAB towards childhood immunizations.

METHOD(S):
First-time parents with children under the age of two were randomly assigned to message treatment and control groups. Message exposure and data collection were also web-based. The treatment group was exposed to vaccine information statements that were modified in an attempt to increase message credibility, message relevance, message acceptance, and level of confidence in the recommendation. The specific message variables that were manipulated were: a)inclusion of a peer-related example; b)presence of risk comparisons; c) risk information presentation and d)presence of citations/references.

RESULT(S):
Study is underway. Results will be presented at conference. The degree of correlation between the four specific message variables and the KABs of parents towards one childhood vaccine recommendation (i.e., hepatitis B) will be presented.

CONCLUSIONS(S):
Certain message strategies may increase parents’ knowledge acceptance, and adoption of immunization recommendations.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Name and describe major message strategies and content factors that can affect parents’ KAB toward vaccine education