Brief Digital Intervention to Increase COVID-19 Vaccination Among Individuals With Anxiety or Depression

Study Results

Results available

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Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

1419 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-04-15

Study Completion Date

2024-11-15

Brief Summary

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The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a mis/disinformation ecosystem that promotes divergent views of vaccine efficacy, as well as the legitimacy of science and medicine. Individuals are confronted with vaccine-related information from a multitude of sources, posing a challenge to identifying inaccurate information. COVID-19 vaccine uptake is lower among people with anxiety and depression than in the general population, due in part to higher levels of vaccine hesitancy. The prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms among US adults increased significantly during the COVID pandemic and has remained elevated. Interventions capable of mitigating the impact of vaccine hesitancy and mis/disinformation among undervaccinated people with anxiety or depression are therefore an urgent priority. Emerging evidence suggests that reasons for vaccine hesitancy and the impact of conventional vaccination messaging differ between those with and without mental health symptoms. There may also be added challenges overcoming logistical barriers to vaccination for people with anxiety or depressive symptoms.

The investigators aim to determine the effectiveness of two different brief digital intervention strategies compared with conventional public health messaging for increasing vaccine uptake in undervaccinated adults with and without anxiety or depressive symptoms. Attitudinal inoculation is a brief, scalable strategy that leverages the power of narrative, values, and emotion to strengthen resistance to mis/disinformation and reduce hesitancy. Though this approach has been shown to decrease COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among US adults, the extent to which this approach increases COVID-19 vaccination remains unknown. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based intervention for anxiety and depression. However, the efficacy of incorporating CBT-informed messaging in a vaccine promotion intervention has not been tested. The investigators hypothesize that both attitudinal inoculation and CBT-style communication will be more effective than conventional public health messaging to increase COVID-19 vaccination. The investigators also hypothesize that the CBT-informed intervention will be more effective than the attitudinal inoculation intervention for increasing COVID-19 vaccination among participants with symptoms of anxiety or depression.

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Detailed Description

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The project will recruit undervaccinated participants with and without symptoms of anxiety or depression from the CHASING COVID Cohort, a large and geographically diverse community-based US cohort, to tailor and test the effectiveness of two brief digital interventions to increase vaccine uptake among adults with anxiety or depressive symptoms. The investigators will assign undervaccinated cohort participants, with and without symptoms of anxiety or depression, to: 1) an attitudinal inoculation intervention; 2), a CBT-informed intervention; or 3) a conventional public health messaging intervention without attitudinal inoculation or CBT-informed content. The investigators will examine the outcome of COVID-19 vaccination at 4 weeks post-intervention, conducting intent-to-treat comparisons between arms.

Conditions

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Misinformation Vaccine Hesitancy Anxiety Depression COVID-19

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

The investigators will assign undervaccinated cohort participants, with and without symptoms of anxiety or depression, to: 1) an attitudinal inoculation intervention; 2), a CBT-informed intervention; or 3) a conventional public health messaging intervention. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the three intervention arms at a ratio of 1:1:1. Each arm will also be stratified 1:1 by presence or absence of anxiety or depression symptoms. Masking of participants to study arm assignment is not feasible due to the nature of the interventions. However, data collection analysts, study staff, and investigators will be masked to study arm assignments until analyses are complete.

Primary Study Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Attitudinal inoculation intervention

Participants randomized to this arm will view a brief video addressing one anti-vaccine "meta-narrative" or issue (e.g., concerns about the vaccine not working) most salient to the entire CHASING COVID study population (per recent historical data) and focused on bolstering resistance to mis/disinformation.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Attitudinal inoculation

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

A brief video focused on bolstering resistance to mis/disinformation about the COVID vaccine. Participants will receive two messages via text or email (1 and 3 days after the inoculation intervention). These messages will include reminders to get vaccinated.

Cognitive behavioral therapy-informed intervention

Participants randomized to this arm will view a brief video using a CBT-informed approach and focused on addressing barriers to vaccination, with no inoculation messaging.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Cognitive-behavioral therapy-informed intervention

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

A brief video using a CBT-informed approach and focused on addressing barriers to COVID-19 vaccination. Participants will receive two messages via text or email (1 and 3 days after the inoculation intervention). These messages will include reminders to get vaccinated.

Conventional public health messaging

Participants randomized to this arm will view a brief video conveying conventional public health messaging adapted from a review of public health public service announcements, with no inoculation or CBT-informed messaging.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Conventional public health messaging

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

A brief video conveying conventional public health messaging adapted from a review of public health public service announcements with no inoculation messaging. Participants will receive two messages via text or email (1 and 3 days after the inoculation intervention). These messages will include reminders to get vaccinated.

Interventions

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Attitudinal inoculation

A brief video focused on bolstering resistance to mis/disinformation about the COVID vaccine. Participants will receive two messages via text or email (1 and 3 days after the inoculation intervention). These messages will include reminders to get vaccinated.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Cognitive-behavioral therapy-informed intervention

A brief video using a CBT-informed approach and focused on addressing barriers to COVID-19 vaccination. Participants will receive two messages via text or email (1 and 3 days after the inoculation intervention). These messages will include reminders to get vaccinated.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Conventional public health messaging

A brief video conveying conventional public health messaging adapted from a review of public health public service announcements with no inoculation messaging. Participants will receive two messages via text or email (1 and 3 days after the inoculation intervention). These messages will include reminders to get vaccinated.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Recently engaged in the CHASING COVID Cohort study (i.e., started ≥ 1 survey since December 7, 2022)
* Last COVID-19 vaccine dose prior to September 11, 2023
* Current residence in the US or a US territory
* Comprehension of written English