A media intervention applying debunking versus non-debunking content to combat vaccine misinformation in elderly in the Netherlands: A digital randomised trial.
Hamza Yousuf, Sander van der Linden, Luke Bredius, G A Ted van Essen, Govert Sweep, Zohar Preminger, Eric van Gorp, Erik Scherder, Jagat Narula, Leonard Hofstra
Author Information
Hamza Yousuf: Department of Cardiology, Amsterdam UMC, VU University medical center, De Boelelaan 1117 - 1118, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Sander van der Linden: Department of Psychology, School of Biology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Luke Bredius: Department of Cardiology, Amsterdam UMC, VU University medical center, De Boelelaan 1117 - 1118, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
G A Ted van Essen: Dutch Influenza Foundation, Amersfoort, the Netherlands.
Govert Sweep: Department of Cardiology, Amsterdam UMC, VU University medical center, De Boelelaan 1117 - 1118, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Zohar Preminger: Department of Cardiology, Amsterdam UMC, VU University medical center, De Boelelaan 1117 - 1118, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Eric van Gorp: Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Erik Scherder: Department of Clinical Neuropsychology, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Jagat Narula: Mount Sinai, St. Luke's Hospital, New York, NY, USA.
Leonard Hofstra: Department of Cardiology, Amsterdam UMC, VU University medical center, De Boelelaan 1117 - 1118, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
BACKGROUND: As several COVID-19 vaccines are rolled-out globally, it has become important to develop an effective strategy for vaccine acceptance, especially in high-risk groups, such as elderly. Vaccine misconception was declared by WHO as one of the top 10 health issues in 2019. Here we test the effectiveness of applying debunking to combat vaccine misinformation, and reduce vaccine hesitancy. METHODS: Participants were recruited via a daily news show on Dutch Television, targeted to elderly viewers. The study was conducted in 980 elderly citizens during the October 2020 National Influenza Vaccination Campaign. Borrowing from the recent literature in behavioural science and psychology we conducted a two-arm randomized blinded parallel study, in which participants were allocated to exposure to a video containing social norms, vaccine information plus debunking of vaccination myths (intervention group, = 505) or a video only containing vaccine information plus social norm (control group, = 475). Participants who viewed either of the video's and completed both a pre- and post-intervention survey on vaccination trust and knowledge, were included in the analysis. The main outcomes of this study were improvement on vaccine knowledge and awareness. FINDINGS: Participants were recruited from the 13th of October 2020 till the 16th of October 2020 and could immediately participate in the pre-intervention survey. Subsequently, eligible participants were randomly assigned to an interventional video and the follow-up survey, distributed through email on the 18th of October 2020, and available for participation till the 24th of October 2020. We found that exposure to the video with addition of debunking strategies on top of social norm modelling and information resulted in substantially stronger rejection of vaccination misconceptions, including the belief that: (1) vaccinations can cause Autism Spectrum Disorders; (2) vaccinations weaken the immune system; (3) influenza vaccination would hamper the COVID-19 vaccine efficacy. Additionally, we observed that exposure to debunking in the intervention resulted in enhanced trust in government. INTERPRETATION: Utilizing debunking in media campaigns on top of vaccine information and social norm modeling is an effective means to combat misinformation and distrust associated with vaccination in elderly, and could help maximize grounds for the acceptance of vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccines. FUNDING: Dutch Influenza Foundation.
