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September 23, 2024 | FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) researchers say it’s important to reach out to vaccine recommendations from health care providers to those who are hesitant to get vaccinated, especially when it comes to COVID-19, influenza and HPV vaccinations.
In several studies published this summer, researchers at the UAMS Institute for Community Health Innovation found that hesitant people who received a recommendation from their health care provider were significantly more likely to get vaccinated than hesitant people who did not receive a recommendation.
“A provider recommendation is really important, especially if patients are hesitant to get the vaccine, because it greatly increases the likelihood they’ll get vaccinated,” said Dr. Don Willis, assistant professor at the Institute for Community Health Innovation. “But not enough people who are hesitant are getting a provider recommendation, so we hope that our findings will help providers recommend the vaccine to their patients.”
According to the World Health Organization, there are vaccines available to prevent more than 20 life-threatening diseases, saving millions of lives each year. Children need to receive vaccinations based on their age, but adults are also encouraged to get vaccinated against diseases like HPV, COVID-19, and influenza.
Over the past few months, the Institute for Community Health Innovation has published the following articles on vaccination rollout:
Impact on booster vaccination rates among adults due to receive a COVID-19 booster vaccination: A qualitative study (Health Promotion International) Hesitant but vaccinated: Lessons learned from hesitant vaccine recipients (Vaccines) Childhood HPV vaccination: Healthcare provider recommendation matters for hesitant parents (Vaccines)
Willis and other researchers at the institute have been studying vaccination participation since before the COVID-19 pandemic to understand factors that influence people’s decisions to get vaccinated, and Willis said the findings could influence policies and practices at health care organizations across the country.
“It’s important to understand that vaccine hesitancy and vaccination coexist and can occur at any time,” Willis said. “Including this concept in our definition of vaccine hesitancy allows us to get a more comprehensive picture of what vaccine hesitancy means and helps us develop strategies to target hesitant people and ensure they have the information from their doctors they need to make decisions that will protect them from serious disease.”
UAMS is providing COVID-19 and flu vaccines to Arkansans across the state through mobile health initiatives and other preventive services. For a complete list of services and mobile health events, or to see the institute’s public coverage, visit communityhealth.uams.edu
