IMC Section 2

Market Research Plan: Promoting COVID-19 Vaccination in Daycare-Aged Children in Mississippi

Research Questions

The following research questions will guide this study:

1. What are the primary barriers and benefits of vaccinating daycare-aged children against COVID-19, as their parents perceive?
2. What demographic and psychographic characteristics define the target audience?
3. How do community attitudes, political factors, and recent policy decisions influence vaccine uptake in Mississippi?
4. What strategies have been most effective in promoting vaccinations in similar contexts, and how can they be adapted locally: IMC Section 2.

These questions aim to address gaps in understanding parental vaccine hesitancy and develop a targeted social marketing plan.

Barriers and Benefits

Parents of daycare-aged children face specific barriers to vaccination that influence their decision-making. Common barriers include concerns about vaccine safety and side effects, often fueled by misinformation on social media platforms, as noted by Suran (2021). Additionally, many parents believe in children’s natural immunity and distrust government institutions and healthcare systems (UNICEF, 2023).

Conversely, the benefits of vaccination include reducing the risk of severe disease and long-term health complications in children, contributing to community herd immunity, and protecting vulnerable family members and caregivers, as indicated by Silva Andrade et al. (2021). These barriers and these benefits need to be addressed to encourage vaccine uptake.

Audience Segmentation

This campaign’s main target audience would be parents of children of daycare age in Mississippi, particularly the vaccine-hesitant. Typically, these would fall into the range of adults aged 25 to 40, a mix of racial and socioeconomic backgrounds, with most participants being White and African American with low to middle-income levels.

Psychographically, this audience values family health and community well-being but may be skeptical toward government mandates and healthcare systems. Many depend on peer networks and social media for health information. Understanding these characteristics will enable the development of communication strategies that resonate with their concerns and values.

Community Attitudes and Environment

Community attitudes in Mississippi toward COVID-19 vaccinations are entangled with politics, misinformation, and a philosophy of individualism versus government mandates. The state’s policies have promoted choices based on individual discretion, which helped to perpetuate vaccine hesitancy among its population. However, various health organizations and local influencers have been able to promote vaccination with the trust and cultural relevance emphasized by Gerretsen et al. (2021). The mixed views from the community bring out the need for tailored messaging that addresses skepticism while building trust among the target audience.

Research Question

Based on these focuses, the broader research question will become: How might public health communicators best advance COVID-19 vaccinations, lowering vaccine hesitation in parents for daycare-aged children throughout Mississippi? This gives the direction needed on how the improvement can be furthered.

Market Research Plan

Secondary vs. Primary Research

Secondary and primary research will be required for this project. The secondary research involves a review of the current literature on vaccine hesitancy and acceptance, including works such as Gerretsen et al. (2021) and Suran (2021), as well as other vaccination data analyses specific to Mississippi and studies of successful vaccine promotion campaigns, such as the Michigan “I Vaccinate” initiative. This is confined to graduate students, and this research will involve interviews with key stakeholders- such as parents with children at the age that would fall in the daycare settings- to understand on a deeper level what the decision-making processes and attitudes are regarding vaccinations.

Summary of Secondary Research Findings

Secondary research highlights vaccine hesitancy is deeply rooted in misinformation, distrust, and cultural beliefs. Successful campaigns often employ strategies such as building trust through local influencers, addressing safety concerns with evidence-based information, and tailoring messages to align with the audience’s values. For instance, emphasizing family protection and community well-being has proven effective in similar initiatives. These findings and insights from the planned interview will inform a comprehensive social marketing plan to promote vaccine uptake among parents of daycare-aged children in Mississippi.

Interview Plan

The main interviewee will be a parent at the daycare center who has been reluctant to vaccinate their child. This was selected because this person falls in the category that will help capture some important aspects affecting the emotional and cognitive decisions relating to vaccination. This perspective is critical to further refining the messaging to reach a similar audience and specifically respond to identified concerns.

Draft Interview Questions

The interview will focus on understanding the parent’s concerns, sources of information, and decision-making processes. Key questions include:

1. What are your main concerns about vaccinating your child against COVID-19?
2. What sources of information do you rely on to make health decisions for your child?
3. Have you discussed vaccinations with other parents or family members? What were their opinions?
4. What benefits, if any, do you see in vaccinating your child?
5. What would make you feel more confident about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine?
6. How do you perceive government and healthcare messaging about vaccines?
7. Are there any community or cultural factors that influence your decision-making about vaccines?
8. What role do you think social media plays in shaping opinions about vaccines?
9. How do you prioritize your child’s health needs over other household concerns?
10. What support or information would encourage you to vaccinate your child?

References

Gerretsen, P., Kim, J., Caravaggio, F., Quilty, L., Sanches, M., Wells, S., Brown, E. E., Agic, B., Pollock, B. G., & Graff-Guerrero, A. (2021). Individual determinants of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. PLOS ONE, 16(11), e0258462. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258462

Silva Andrade, B., Siqueira, S., de Assis Soares, W. R., de Souza Rangel, F., Santos, N. O., dos Santos Freitas, A., Ribeiro da Silveira, P., Tiwari, S., Alzahrani, K. J., Góes-Neto, A., Azevedo, V., Ghosh, P., & Barh, D. (2021). Long-COVID and Post-COVID Health Complications: An Up-to-Date Review on Clinical Conditions and Their Possible Molecular Mechanisms. Viruses, 13(4), 700. https://doi.org/10.3390/v13040700

Suran, M. (2021). Why Parents Still Hesitate to Vaccinate Their Children Against COVID-19. JAMA, 327(1). https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2021.21625

UNICEF. (2023, April 20). New Data Indicates Declining Confidence in Childhood Vaccines of up to 44 Percentage Points in Some Countries during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Www.unicef.org. https://www.unicef.org/rosa/press-releases/new-data-indicates-declining-confidence-childhood-vaccines-44-percentage-points-some

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