Leveraging Mobile Technology and Trusted Community Partners to Address Racial Disparities in COVID-19 Vaccinations: Evaluation of Multichannel Digital Communication (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monique Antoinette Smith ◽  
Matthew Donaven McCurdy ◽  
Nicole M Franks ◽  
Sara Yelpaala ◽  
Jared Dakota Dawson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Mobile Technology ◽  
Community Outreach ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Community Partners ◽  
Target Populations ◽  
Multichannel Communications

BACKGROUND Innovative and strategic interventions are needed to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among communities which have been the most heavily impacted by the pandemic. Digital interventions are a critical component of strategies to promote healthy behaviors among target populations. Furthermore, given that the communities most vulnerable to COVID-19 experience mistrust toward health care systems, health promotion programs must consider the trustworthiness of the messenger in reaching target populations. This campaign utilized digital messaging strategies and trusted community partners to inform vulnerable populations about COVID-19 prevention, vaccinations, and other social services. OBJECTIVE This paper assesses the reach and impact of the COVID-19 messaging campaign which aimed to provide vital health information about COVID-19 prevention and vaccination to Black and Latino members of the Metro-Atlanta community by using multichannel communications through trusted community partners. METHODS Emory’s Collaborative Community Outreach and Health Disparities Group (ECCOHD) established a “connected community of care” model to disseminate health messages, resources, and linkages through trusted networks. Utilizing multichannel communications through SMS, social media, and flyers, the messaging campaign began to reach our target population in July 2020 and continued to do so until July 2021. RESULTS From the beginning of the campaign in July 2020 to its end in July 2021, the Metro-Atlanta COVID-19 messaging campaign sent out 2.4 million messages to 142 000 unique individuals. These messages received nearly 97, 000 click throughs and reached females 18-39y more than any other demographic. “High-risk” zip codes in DeKalb County were the highest reach zip codes. Regarding social media outreach, the campaign’s posts received more than 1.3 million impressions through ESSENCE Media’s Instagram and Facebook accounts, which have a reach of nearly 100, 000 followers. Furthermore, in the five zip codes that the messaging campaign reached the most, an average decrease in vaccine hesitancy of 9.92% was recorded from the beginning to the end of the campaign. CONCLUSIONS Leveraging a network of messaging partners who have long-standing relationships with underserved communities was key in establishing trust with these community members and motivating them to action. Additionally, utilizing data from the COVID Community Needs Index (CCNI) as well as the COVID Community Vulnerability Index (CCVI) proved to be a vital tool for identifying zip codes with greater need and informing our campaign strategy. Additionally, mobile technology allowed for our customized messaging to reach hundreds of thousands of individuals and make millions of impressions on social media among communities with high vaccine hesitancy, such as Back and Latinx Americans.

scholarly journals Global, regional, and national estimates of target population sizes for covid-19 vaccination: descriptive study

BMJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. m4704 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Wang ◽  
Qianhui Wu ◽  
Juan Yang ◽  
Kaige Dong ◽  
Xinghui Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
World Health ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Target Populations ◽  
Population Sizes ◽  
National Estimates ◽  
Country Specific

AbstractObjectiveTo provide global, regional, and national estimates of target population sizes for coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) vaccination to inform country specific immunisation strategies on a global scale.DesignDescriptive study.Setting194 member states of the World Health Organization.PopulationTarget populations for covid-19 vaccination based on country specific characteristics and vaccine objectives (maintaining essential core societal services; reducing severe covid-19; reducing symptomatic infections and stopping virus transmission).Main outcome measureSize of target populations for covid-19 vaccination. Estimates use country specific data on population sizes stratified by occupation, age, risk factors for covid-19 severity, vaccine acceptance, and global vaccine production. These data were derived from a multipronged search of official websites, media sources, and academic journal articles.ResultsTarget population sizes for covid-19 vaccination vary markedly by vaccination goal and geographical region. Differences in demographic structure, presence of underlying conditions, and number of essential workers lead to highly variable estimates of target populations at regional and country levels. In particular, Europe has the highest share of essential workers (63.0 million, 8.9%) and people with underlying conditions (265.9 million, 37.4%); these two categories are essential in maintaining societal functions and reducing severe covid-19, respectively. In contrast, South East Asia has the highest share of healthy adults (777.5 million, 58.9%), a key target for reducing community transmission. Vaccine hesitancy will probably impact future covid-19 vaccination programmes; based on a literature review, 68.4% (95% confidence interval 64.2% to 72.6%) of the global population is willing to receive covid-19 vaccination. Therefore, the adult population willing to be vaccinated is estimated at 3.7 billion (95% confidence interval 3.2 to 4.1 billion).ConclusionsThe distribution of target groups at country and regional levels highlights the importance of designing an equitable and efficient plan for vaccine prioritisation and allocation. Each country should evaluate different strategies and allocation schemes based on local epidemiology, underlying population health, projections of available vaccine doses, and preference for vaccination strategies that favour direct or indirect benefits.

Potential Benefits of Animal-Detecting Automatic Emergency Braking Systems Based on U.S. Driving Data

2021 ◽  
pp. 036119812110124
Author(s):  
Jeremy A. Decker ◽  
Samantha H. Haus ◽  
Rini Sherony ◽  
Hampton C. Gabler
Keyword(s):  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Low Light ◽  
Emergency Braking ◽  
Target Populations ◽  
Light Trucks ◽  
Naturalistic Driving Study ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Crash Characteristics

In 2015, there were 319,195 police reported vehicle-animal crashes, resulting in 275 vehicle occupant fatalities. Animal-detecting automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems are a promising active safety measure which could potentially avoid or mitigate many of these crashes by warning the driver, utilizing automatic braking, or both. The purpose of this study was to develop and characterize a target population of vehicle-animal crashes applicable to AEB systems and to analyze the potential benefits of an animal-detecting AEB system. The study was based on two nationally representative databases, Fatality Analysis Reporting System and the National Automotive Sampling System’s General Estimates System, and a naturalistic driving study, SHRP 2. The target population was restricted to vehicle-animal crashes that were forward impacts or road departures and involved cars and light trucks, with no loss of control. Crash characteristics which may influence the performance of AEB such as lighting, weather, pre-crash movement, relation to junction, and first and worst harmful events, were analyzed. The study found that the major influences on the effectiveness of animal AEB systems were: weather, lighting, pre-crash movements, and the crash location. Six potential target populations were used to analyze the potential effectiveness of an animal AEB system, with effectiveness ranging between 21.6% and 97% of police reported crashes and between 4.1% and 50.8% of fatal vehicle-animal crashes. An AEB system’s ability to function in low light and poor weather conditions may enable it to avoid a substantially higher proportion of crashes.

Understanding the Role of Online Media Platforms in Airport Capital Projects and Community Outreach

2021 ◽  
pp. 036119812199347
Author(s):  
Max Z. Li ◽  
Megan S. Ryerson
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Community Outreach ◽  
Capital Projects ◽  
The Public ◽  
Online Social Media ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Project Phases ◽  
Media Channels ◽  
Common Content

Community outreach and engagement efforts are critical to an airport’s role as an ever-evolving transportation infrastructure and regional economic driver. As online social media platforms continue to grow in both popularity and influence, a new engagement channel between airports and the public is emerging. However, the motivations behind and effectiveness of these social media channels remain unclear. In this work, we address this knowledge gap by better understanding the advantages, impact, and best practices of this newly emerging engagement channel available to airports. Focusing specifically on airport YouTube channels, we first document quantitative viewership metrics, and examine common content characteristics within airport YouTube videos. We then conduct interviews and site visits with relevant airport stakeholders to identify the motivations and workflow behind these videos. Finally, we facilitate sample focus groups designed to survey public perceptions of the effectiveness and value of these videos. From our four project phases, to maximize content effectiveness and community engagement potential, we synthesize the following framework of action items, recommendations, and best practices: (C) Consistency and community; (O) Organizational structure; (M) Momentum; (B) Branding and buy-in; (A) Activity; (T) Two-way engagement; (E) Enthusiasm; and (D) Depth, or as a convenient initialism, our COMBATED framework.

scholarly journals Faster than warp speed: early attention to COVD-19 by anti-vaccine groups on Facebook

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth C Kalichman ◽  
Lisa A Eaton ◽  
Valerie A Earnshaw ◽  
Natalie Brousseau
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Vaccine Safety ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Government ◽  
Vaccine Information

Abstract Background The unprecedented rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines has faced SARS-CoV- (COVID-19) vaccine hesitancy, which is partially fueled by the misinformation and conspiracy theories propagated by anti-vaccine groups on social media. Research is needed to better understand the early COVID-19 anti-vaccine activities on social media. Methods This study chronicles the social media posts concerning COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines by leading anti-vaccine groups (Dr Tenpenny on Vaccines, the National Vaccine Information Center [NVIC] the Vaccination Information Network [VINE]) and Vaccine Machine in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic (February–May 2020). Results Analysis of 2060 Facebook posts showed that anti-vaccine groups were discussing COVID-19 in the first week of February 2020 and were specifically discussing COVID-19 vaccines by mid-February 2020. COVID-19 posts by NVIC were more widely disseminated and showed greater influence than non-COVID-19 posts. Early COVID-19 posts concerned mistrust of vaccine safety and conspiracy theories. Conclusion Major anti-vaccine groups were sowing seeds of doubt on Facebook weeks before the US government launched its vaccine development program ‘Operation Warp Speed’. Early anti-vaccine misinformation campaigns outpaced public health messaging and hampered the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.

Social Media in Surgery

2020 ◽  
pp. 000313482097297
Author(s):  
Kevin N. Harrell ◽  
Dominique Vervoort ◽  
Jessica G.Y. Luc ◽  
Brett M. Tracy ◽  
John Daniel Stanley
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
International Collaboration ◽  
Community Outreach ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Residency Programs ◽  
Online Presence ◽  
Personal Branding

Social media has become a permeating form of communication with billions of daily users. Twitter in particular has become a tool for the surgical community to engage with other providers, as well as patients, through active online discussions, sharing of research, and highlighting opportunities for community outreach. Twitter can help with personal branding, mentorship, and international collaboration on multiple types of academic endeavors. Likewise, institutional and residency programs can harness the power of social media to develop an online presence and aid in resident recruitment.

scholarly journals Rapid deployment of a community engagement study and educational trial via social media: implementation of the UC-COVID study

Trials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren E. Wisk ◽  
Russell G. Buhr
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Search Activity ◽  
Community Partners ◽  
Community Values ◽  
Sample Representativeness ◽  
Adult Participants ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Rapid Deployment

Abstract Background In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated adoption of scarce resource allocation (SRA) policies, we sought to rapidly deploy a novel survey to ascertain community values and preferences for SRA and to test the utility of a brief intervention to improve knowledge of and values alignment with a new SRA policy. Given social distancing and precipitous evolution of the pandemic, Internet-enabled recruitment was deemed the best method to engage a community-based sample. We quantify the efficiency and acceptability of this Internet-based recruitment for engaging a trial cohort and describe the approach used for implementing a health-related trial entirely online using off-the-shelf tools. Methods We recruited 1971 adult participants (≥ 18 years) via engagement with community partners and organizations and outreach through direct and social media messaging. We quantified response rate and participant characteristics of our sample, examine sample representativeness, and evaluate potential non-response bias. Results Recruitment was similarly derived from direct referral from partner organizations and broader social media based outreach, with extremely low study entry from organic (non-invited) search activity. Of social media platforms, Facebook was the highest yield recruitment source. Bot activity was present but minimal and identifiable through meta-data and engagement behavior. Recruited participants differed from broader populations in terms of sex, ethnicity, and education, but had similar prevalence of chronic conditions. Retention was satisfactory, with entrance into the first follow-up survey for 61% of those invited. Conclusions We demonstrate that rapid recruitment into a longitudinal intervention trial via social media is feasible, efficient, and acceptable. Recruitment in conjunction with community partners representing target populations, and with outreach across multiple platforms, is recommended to optimize sample size and diversity. Trial implementation, engagement tracking, and retention are feasible with off-the-shelf tools using preexisting platforms. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04373135. Registered on May 4, 2020

What Happens in a Youth Community of Learning When Mobile Technology Is Implemented? The Case of a Finnish Evangelical-Lutheran Church Confirmation Training

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eveliina Ojala
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Mobile Technology ◽  
Research Area ◽  
New Ways Of Working ◽  
Lutheran Church ◽  
Community Of Learning ◽  
Actual Use ◽  
Evangelical Lutheran Church ◽  
Youth Community ◽  
Evangelical Lutheran

AbstractThe aim of this article is to discuss confirmation training from the perspective of mobile technology and social media. Previous research has focused on comparing confirmation training practices implemented in different Lutheran Churches. This article contributes to this research area by providing a new viewpoint to the discussion. Results indicate that (1) workers, in particular, received new ways of working with enthusiasm, (2) but the actual use of mobile devices and social media like Facebook proved to be low and not innovative, and (3) mobile technology cannot be integrated into confirmation training until new content and methods that are meaningful to young people have been developed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document