Trusted sources for COVID-19 testing and vaccination: lessons for future health communication

ABSTRACT

Background

Promoting COVID-19 vaccination (both the primary series and boosters) remains a priority among healthcare professionals and requires understanding the various sources people trust for acquiring COVID-19 information.

Method

From October 2021 to May 2022, we interviewed 150 people who called 2–1–1 helplines in Connecticut and North Carolina about their COVID-19 testing and vaccination experiences in order to (1) better understand where people obtain trusted COVID-19 health information and (2) identify how public health professionals can share emergency health information in the future. We used a mixed methods approach in which semi-structured qualitative interviews and survey data were collected in parallel and analyzed separately.

Results

Participants were mostly female (74.0%), Black (43.3%) or White (38.0%), and had a high school degree or higher (88.0%). Most had prior COVID-19 testing experience (88.0%) and were vaccinated (82.7%). A variety of information sources were rated as being very trustworthy including medical professionals and social service organizations. We found that repetition of information from multiple sources increased trust; however, perceived inconsistencies in recommendations over time eroded trust in health communication, especially from government-affiliated information sources. Observations such as seeing long lines for COVID-19 testing or vaccination became internalized trusted information.

Conclusions

Public health professionals can leverage the reach and strong community ties of existing, reputable non-government organizations, such as physician groups, schools, and pharmacies, to distribute COVID-19 information about vaccination and testing.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• SARS-CoV-2
• trusted information sources
• mixed-methods research
• health communication
• trust
• information seeking behavior

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Kally Xu, Caitlin Smith, Indigo Johnson, Emma Cole, and the staff at Connecticut 2–1–1 and North Carolina 2–1–1 for their involvement.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethics approval

The Washington University in St. Louis Institutional Review Board approved this study on July 22, 2021 (IRB ID #:202107079). All participants provided informed consent.

Authors contribution

CK conducted participant interviews, coded the interviews, helped with qualitative data analysis, and drafted and revised the manuscript. AM helped in study conceptualization, qualitative data analysis, and drafted and revised the manuscript. VD conducted participant interviews, coded the interviews, performed quantitative data analysis, and revised the manuscript. AKM oversaw data collection and drafted and revised the manuscript. TP conducted participant interviews and revised the manuscript. NV oversaw the qualitative study and revised the manuscript. CC and MWK helped in study conceptualization and revised the manuscript.

Data availability

Deidentified excerpts of the transcripts relevant to the study are available upon request. Coding guides are also available upon request.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics – Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) grant from the National Institutes of Health (3R01CA235773-03S1, MPI: Kreuter and McQueen).

Notes on contributors

Camille Kroll

Camille Kroll, M.A., MPH, is a Graduate Research Assistant at the Health Communication Research Laboratory in the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and Ph.D. student in anthropology at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Amy McQueen

Amy McQueen, Ph.D., is a Professor of Medicine at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine and Co-Director of the Health Communication Research Laboratory in the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Victoria De La Vega

Victoria De La Vega, MPH, is a Research Project Coordinator at the Health Communication Research Laboratory in the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Alexis K. Marsh

Alexis K. Marsh, MSW, is a Senior Research Manager at the Health Communication Research Laboratory in the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Tim Poor

Tim Poor is the Publications Editor at the Health Communication Research Laboratory in the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Niko Verdecias

Niko Verdecias, DrPH, MPH, is an Assistant Professor of Population Health in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University.

Charlene Caburnay

Charlene Caburnay, Ph.D., MPH, is a Research Assistant Professor and Co-Director of the Health Communication Research Laboratory in the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Matthew W. Kreuter

Matthew W. Kreuter, Ph.D., MPH, is the Kahn Family Professor of Public Health at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. He is the founder of and senior scientist at the Health Communication Research Laboratory.