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When the COVID-19 vaccine becomes available for children aged 5 to 11, most vaccinated parents will have their children vaccinated. However, it will also be a great opportunity for those who are anti-vaccine to step up their efforts to discredit the vaccine’s effectiveness and spread misinformation, especially since much of the anti-vaccine rhetoric (with the anti-mask) was to protect children, according to the assistant professor of Syracuse University Rebecca Ortiz.
Ortiz, who studies and teaches health communication strategies at SU’s Newhouse School, says tackling this misinformation will continue to be a problem as the next round of vaccinations intensifies. However, Ortiz said there are some tactics she learned when promoting the HPV vaccine to parents that can still be applied today for the COVID vaccine.
The HPV vaccine is a vaccine recommended for children aged 11 or 12, before a child is sexually active, because human papillomaviruses are sexually transmitted infections. Research has found that some parents are reluctant to get their children vaccinated because they are concerned about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine – especially when it was still relatively new – or are concerned about the implications of the administration. vaccine to their child for transmissible before they are sexually active, despite the fact that this is exactly why it is recommended at ages 11 and 12.
“To improve immunization, much attention was then given to correcting these negative perceptions,” Ortiz said. “What finally became clear, however, was that it was not these perceptions alone that held parents back; it was that some doctors did not recommend vaccination routinely, possibly because they were not always well informed about the vaccine and underestimated parental acceptance and willingness, ”said Ortiz.
“Physician referral is a key predictor of HPV vaccine uptake, and I would say the same could be said for parent uptake of COVID-19 vaccine for their children,” Ortiz said. “If we are to improve COVID-19 vaccination rates, we cannot just focus our efforts on tackling disinformation on social media; physicians, especially pediatricians, must also be provided with tools to communicate the vaccine to hesitant parents. Children are often more likely than their parents to have regular visits to a wellness doctor and, therefore, these visits are great opportunities for doctors to have conversations with parents about how to care. make the right choice in terms of immunization for their children.
Ortiz conducts research at Syracuse University Newhouse School with an emphasis on health communication, social marketing and entertainment and the effects of news media. She has managed and consulted several health communication campaigns and research projects focused primarily on sexual health issues, such as prevention of sexual violence.
To schedule an interview, please contact Ellen James Mbuqe, Director of Media Relations, at [email protected], or 412-496-0551, or Matt Michael, Media Relations Specialist, at 315-254-9037 or [email protected].
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