In a current examine printed in JAMA Community Open, researchers evaluated the efficacy of tailor-made on-line interventions in bettering seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV) uptake amongst older adults.
Examine: Chatbot-Delivered On-line Intervention to Promote Seasonal Influenza Vaccination In the course of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Picture Credit score: BaLL LunLa/Shutterstock.com
Background
SIV can successfully stop influenza and mortality amongst older adults. The Heart for Well being Safety in Hong Kong recommends that adults aged 65 or older obtain SIV yearly.
Though SIV is free for this age group in Hong Kong, its protection is insufficient and was 40.4% in 2021-22. Fewer trials have in contrast the efficacy of mailing reminders to no intervention however had small impact sizes.
Though residence visits and phone periods seem efficient and have bigger impact sizes, they’re extra resource-intensive.
One examine noticed that commonplace verbal training by medical college students was efficient in growing SIV uptake. However, tailor-made interventions for SIV are missing amongst older adults.
A stage of change (SOC) measures readiness for behavioral change. A meta-analysis revealed larger efficacy of SOC-tailored interventions, particularly in much less motivated topics, than interventions not tailor-made to SOCs. Chatbots will be probably priceless in delivering SOC-tailored interventions selling SIV.
In regards to the examine
Within the current examine, researchers assessed the efficacy of chatbot-delivered SOC-tailored interventions in bettering SIV uptake amongst older adults in Hong Kong. This non-blinded randomized managed trial (RCT) was carried out between December 2021 and July 2022.
Eligible topics have been community-dwelling, Cantonese- or Mandarin-speaking smartphone customers aged 65 or older who didn’t take SIV in the course of the 2021-22 influenza season.
People with contraindications to SIV, cognitive impairment, deafness, blindness, or the lack to speak have been excluded. Random phone sampling was applied for recruitment. Members have been supplied grocery store coupons after the baseline survey and 6 months post-intervention.
Topics have been randomized to the intervention or management arm after the baseline survey. Intervention contributors watched one of many SOC-tailored well being promotional movies on SIV uptake each two weeks for 4 periods. The messages within the movies adopted methods to facilitate SOC development. 4 movies with slight variations have been ready to forestall repetition.
Members’ SOC was assessed based mostly on their intention to obtain SIV. SOCs included pre-contemplation, contemplation, and preparation phases. The pre-contemplation stage was outlined as having no intention to take SIV within the subsequent six months.
The contemplation stage was the intention to obtain SIV within the subsequent six months with out plans to take SIV within the subsequent month. The preparation stage was the intention to take SIV within the subsequent month.
Starting the second session, topics have been requested if that they had already been vaccinated for the upcoming influenza season, and optimistic responders have been deemed to be on the motion stage. Equally, controls obtained commonplace movies on the similar intervals. Info in these movies was equivalent to that disseminated by the federal government via mass media. The examine’s outcomes included SIV uptake at six months and SOC at baseline and 6 months.
Findings
General, 396 contributors accomplished the baseline survey; they have been aged, on common, 70.2. Most topics (62.9%) have been females. Roughly 60% of contributors had ever been vaccinated for influenza.
About 37.4%, 22%, and 40.6% of contributors have been on the pre-contemplation, contemplation, and preparation phases, respectively. At six months, 100 and 70 contributors within the intervention and management teams have been on the motion stage.
The SIV uptake fee and the common SOC rating have been considerably larger amongst intervention topics than controls.
Among the many 117 intervention contributors finishing not less than two periods, 55.6% progressed to a better SOC, with a statistically important improve of their imply SOC rating from the primary to the (most) current session.
Extra intervention contributors accomplished not less than one session than controls, and plenty of within the intervention group (80%) have been happy with the promotional messages within the movies.
Conclusions
The examine revealed a better efficacy of SOC-tailored intervention in bettering SIV uptake than the usual, non-SOC-tailored intervention, with about ten share factors larger SIV uptake fee within the intervention group than the general SIV protection amongst older adults in Hong Kong.
The intervention system was viable to supply tailor-made well being promotional messages in line with contributors’ SOC and required fewer sources, on condition that it may routinely consider SOC and choose applicable interventions.
General, the findings recommend that SOC-tailored interventions could also be (extra) sustainable in growing SIV uptake.