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A new analysis from the University of Pittsburgh revealed trends in social media activity among people with convictions opposed to vaccination.
The analysis relies on the experience of a local pediatric practice that in 2017 was inundated with negative social media after posting a video showcasing the benefits of the HPV vaccine.
"I worked for eight consecutive days of 18 hours each to combat this attack that was happening … literally around the clock," said Chad Hermann, director of communications for Kids Plus Pediatrics. He added that the negative attention had attracted at least 36 states and eight countries. "There was always someone awake who was attacking our page."
Once Hermann was able to take a break from troll blocking and deleting comments, he decided, along with Dr. Todd Wolynn, CEO of Kids Plus, to collaborate with Pitt's researchers. The goal was to understand what motivates people with anti-vaccine beliefs.
People with anti-vaccination beliefs are "not a monolithic group," said lead author Beth Hoffman. "I think the media are talking a lot about this concern about autism, and we've seen so much more than that."
The subsequent analysis of this activity on social media revealed that anti-vaccine fears fall into four distinct categories: concerns about vaccine safety, mistrust of scientific research, beliefs about which homeopathic or alternative remedies are healthier and conspiracies surrounding the vaccination.
Hoffman said this information could help adapt public health awareness to address specific concerns and fight misinformation.
"For example, in the [homeopathic] group of alternatives, these people were very concerned about chemicals and wanted things to be natural, "she said. "Thus, the message that vaccines are a way to strengthen the natural immune system of our body is likely to resonate more than, in a way, coverage" Vaccines are safe and effective ".
Another interesting finding was that people who doubted vaccines were also preoccupied with health problems such as fluoridation of drinking water.
The lead author of the study, Brian Primack, who heads Pitt's Center for Media, Technology and Health Research, said Dr. Hoffman was able to bring these models to light through a technique called of social network ".
"[Hoffman] really put everyone's information, not just about what they said, but also about the other things that interest them in the pages that interest them and that they like, as well as all their contacts with each other, the structure of their different networks, "he said.
Todd Wolynn of Kids Plus said he was not too surprised by the results of the study, because of his personal experience with the anti-vaccination community. However, Wolynn, who sits on the advisory board of vaccine manufacturer HPV Merck, said he was happy that the social media clash of his clinic provided a research opportunity.
"It just helps build the body of science behind what's going on there," he said. "At the heart of it all, we are here to keep children healthy."
The study was published in the journal "Vaccine".
WESA receives funding from the University of Pittsburgh.
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