Reaching the “Young Immortals” with Health Communication Messages: Applied Lessons From Formative Research On H1N1 Vaccine for Young Adults

Background:  Young adults up to the age of 24 years were identified as a priority group for the 2009 H1N1 vaccine. This population has not been targeted for flu vaccines in prior years, so data specific to influenza vaccine beliefs, attitudes and behaviors was limited. Furthermore, this age group presents much variance in maturity, living arrangements, and lifestyles (college or working), which must be addressed for effective communications. Therefore, the challenge of motivating young adults to get vaccinated, in addition to their perceptions of being immune and immortal, required in-depth analysis to ascertain messages that would resonate  with their beliefs about flu.

Program background:  The impact of the H1N1 influenza virus among young adults presented unique challenges for a communications campaign. Formative research was designed to collect information on risk perceptions, beliefs and attitudes towards influenza and the H1N1 virus; communication messages and concepts were included in the protocol.

Evaluation Methods and Results:  Online surveys and focus groups were conducted with young adults aged 19-24 years in August and October 2009 to gauge perceptions of risk concerning 2009 H1N1 flu and attitudes toward the vaccine.  Approaches to message delivery were also part of the formative research providing insight to concepts that resonate with this audience segment. Most young adults expressed skepticism about the seriousness of H1N1, and several viewed the intense media coverage related to H1N1 as “hype.” Many commented that they doubted they would get the H1N1 virus, and even if they did become infected, they imagined they could overcome the illness relatively easily. Several concepts were tested for communicating information about 2009 H1N1 flu and to motivate young adults to get vaccinated. Respondents commented that persuasive messages need to state why this age group was at risk. Ads featuring a humorous approach to attract attention were liked by some; others commented that the humor made the issue seem trivial. Most reacted positively to a more serious tone. In addition, messages and advertisements that emphasized altruistic motives resonated with young adults, i.e. that they should get vaccinated to avoid spreading the flu to others. Samples of concepts along with those selected to include in the campaign will be shared along with specific data.

Conclusions:  Engaging young adults, attracting their attention, and raising awareness about an issue towards which there is little concern, presented substantial communications challenges. Observations on strategies to motivate desired behaviors include:

• Use a testimonial approach with credible images to communicate the physical impact of the flu.
• Use an altruistic approach to raise concerns about infecting others, especially infants,
• Remind young people about the recognizable, unpleasant consequence of influenza disease,
• Use images and photos that are a genuine slice-of-life to make them more compelling.

 

Implications for research and/or practice:  Communication approaches from this campaign could be applied to other public health campaigns affecting young adults. Young adult campaigns should be thoroughly vetted with the target audience to ensure that they are relevant, believable, and motivating.