Community-led Strategies to Aid Vaccine Acceptance: Nine Case Studies from Around the World

Source: Sabin Vaccine Institute’s Vaccine Acceptance & Demand Initiative

The Sabin Vaccine Institute’s 2021-2022 Social and Behavioral Grants Program partners concluded their year-long research projects in December 2022. This cohort worked to apply a range of social and behavioral science approaches to investigate and inform locally suitable solutions to support acceptance and uptake of COVID-19 vaccination, develop strategies to address the misinformation within the COVID-19 infodemic, and assess the impact of the pandemic on routine vaccination among hard-to-reach communities and zero-dose populations. Each case study has been compiled to inform action and investment around the globe that seek to build more vaccine confident communities.

Structural inequities in Vaccine Acceptance, Demand, Delivery & Decision-making

In this report, Structural Inequities in Vaccine Acceptance, Demand, Delivery, and Decision-Making, multidisciplinary teams from three countries were awarded funding to investigate uptake of COVID-19 vaccines within their communities, especially individuals who have experienced and continue to experience marginalization in their countries. The grant partners featured in this report represent multidisciplinary teams from Sololá, Guatemala; India, and Thailand. Together, research teams and communities designed interventions that demonstrate the value of community-centric approaches for generating localized solutions, which is an essential strategy for addressing the complex social and structural factors of vaccine acceptance.

These are the individual case studies featured in this report:

• Building a Pathway for a Pertinent Vaccination Transdisciplinary Dialogue in Sololá, Guatemala
• Structural Inequities in COVID-19 Vaccine Access and Uptake Among Transgender and Disability Communities in India: A Qualitative Study through Intersectionality Lens
• COVID-19 Vaccination and People Living with HIV in Thailand

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perceptions around vaccines & demand generation

In this report, Perceptions Around Vaccines & Demand Generation​, multidisciplinary teams from three countries were awarded funding to focus on both routine childhood immunization and COVID-19 vaccination demand generation in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant partners featured in this report represent multidisciplinary teams from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, India; Kenya, and Nigeria. Together, these teams highlight existing barriers towards and opportunities for vaccination demand generation during a significant worldwide health emergency which can inform pandemic and other emergency response planning efforts.

These are the individual case studies featured in this report:

• COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Rural Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, India
• Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic on Routine Childhood Vaccination in Kenya
• Targeted Messaging for COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance in Nigeria: the
  TM-COVAC study

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health systems and vaccination: trust, healthcare workers, & lived experiences

In this report, Health Systems and Vaccination: Trust, Healthcare Workers, and Lived Experiences,  multidisciplinary teams from three countries were awarded funding to understand more about COVID-19 vaccination acceptance, demand, and uptake amongst various cadres of community members: health workers, women, young people, national-level decision-makers, and local groups with known high levels of vaccine hesitancy. The grant partners featured in this report represent multidisciplinary teams from Sarlahi District, Nepal; Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Together, these teams provide an array of different but effective evidence-based strategies to inform further development of policy, programs, and practices that are both responsive to strengthening health system vaccination delivery and the needs to communities, themselves.

These are the individual case studies featured in this report:

• COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy, Trust, and Inequities in Rural Sarlahi District, Nepal
• Understanding the Social and Behavioral Dimensions of COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance among Healthcare Workers in Sierra Leone: Implications for Community Vaccine Uptake
• Assessing Social, Demographic, and Clinical Drivers of COVID-19 Vaccination Behavior in Post-Ebola Liberia

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Each report was authored by the 2021-2022 Sabin Vaccine Institute Social and Behavioral Research Grant Partners in collaboration with Sabin’s Theresa Sommers, Meredith Dockery, and Kate Hopkins. Sabin appreciates the thought leadership, time, and expertise of our partners.