Tools and methods for promoting vaccination acceptance and uptake: a social and behavioural science approach
This set of operational tools empowers public health authorities to diagnose barriers and facilitators to vaccination so they can design tailored strategies and interventions to improve vaccination acceptance and uptake. The featured tools and methods incorporate the latest social and behavioural science approaches and are provided in usable and adaptable formats that fit the real-life contexts of public health authorities and vaccination programmes.
Overview
Even though there are relatively high overall levels of vaccination coverage in the EU/EEA, there are pockets of unvaccinated or under-vaccinated groups in many EU/EEA countries. Continuous efforts are needed to identify immunity gaps and implement tailored strategies and interventions to achieve and sustain targeted levels of vaccination coverage.
This report pairs practical tools with foundational conceptual and contextual information about social and behavioural science approaches to enhancing vaccination acceptance and uptake in EU/EEA countries. It is presented in two parts:
Part 1. Social and behavioural science approaches to enhancing vaccination acceptance and uptake in EU/EEA countries summarises the 5Cs Model that underpins the survey tool in Part 2 and provides EU/EEA-specific context for those who will be engaged in work or decision-making related to promoting vaccination acceptance and uptake.
Part 2. Tools and methods for promoting vaccination acceptance and uptake across the life course provides practical resources that multidisciplinary teams can use to diagnose and design strategies and interventions to improve vaccination coverage. This part of the document includes:
- Section 2.1: A survey tool to collect social and behavioural data on vaccination acceptance and uptake, and support the diagnosis of barriers and facilitators to vaccination in specific populations, comprised of:
- A survey instrument with questions designed and organised based on the five Cs in the 5Cs Model;
- Instructions for how to adapt the survey instrument and develop the study protocol and analysis plan;
- An example analysis plan; and
- Advice on complementary qualitative methods.
- Section 2.2: Methods for addressing behavioural barriers to vaccination, including:
- A library of interventions to increase vaccination acceptance – classified by which particular Cs from the 5Cs Model they address – that have been implemented at national and subnational levels, to inspire and inform the design of targeted interventions to address suboptimal vaccination coverage;
- Instructions on how to use the World Health Organization (WHO)’s ‘5 Steps for the application of behavioural science’ framework to help structure the development of strategies and interventions, including how the tools and methods presented in the report fit into this process [2].
Please note that translations of this report, in all EU/EEA languages, are forthcoming.
Target audiences
Primary target audiences of this report include social and behavioural scientists, campaign and communications specialists, vaccination programme managers and teams, and epidemiological and biomedical experts working in national and regional public health authorities in EU/EEA countries. Other audiences that may benefit from this report are policy-makers and public health leaders setting priorities and budgets in the area of vaccination, as well as academics, professional groups and civil society organisations working on vaccination.
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