VARN2022: Shaping Global Vaccine Acceptance with Localized [Peer-Reviewed] Knowledge
In 2022, the Vaccination Acceptance Research Network — convened by Sabin Vaccine Institute’s Vaccine Acceptance and Demand Initiative — held its inaugural conference, VARN2022, a space for exploration, knowledge sharing, and priority-setting at the intersection of immunization and social and behavioral research. Centered around shaping global vaccine acceptance with localized knowledge, the virtual event promoted the collaborative exchange of research between 200+ health experts and practitioners, providing a forum to discuss key priorities and opportunities emerging across the ecosystem of vaccination programs, policies, and practices.
Some of the most key findings are now available through the VARN2022 Supplement via BMC Proceedings. The collection of peer-reviewed articles collates and synthesizes expertise in vaccination acceptance and demand from around the world, helping understand communities’ needs and generate evidence to back pragmatic, scalable approaches toward enhancing vaccine acceptance, demand, and delivery across regions.
“Peer-reviewed research from VARN2022 is an essential component of evidence generation that informs public health program design and implementation, policy, and most directly further research,” explains Theresa Sommers, Sabin’s Vaccine Acceptance and Demand Senior Manager of Research. “Peer review adds a layer of quality assurance and quality control to research as it is reviewed by peer experts.”
The Supplement is now available for researchers to learn from and expand upon the important work presented. Moreover, policymakers and program implementers can use this type of work to inform program design and implementation.
Explore the articles below or at BMC Proceedings
This report summarizes insights from the diverse presentations and discussions held at VARN2022, which will form a roadmap for future research, policy making, and interventions to improve vaccine acceptance and demand globally.
A novel adaptation of spatial interpolation methods to map health attitudes related to COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic presented substantial challenges to public health stakeholders working to vaccinate populations against the disease, particularly among vaccine hesitant individuals in low- and middle-income countries. Data on the determinants of vaccine hesitancy are scarce, and often available only at the national level.
Misinformation regarding COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination is damaging COVID-19 vaccine trust and acceptance in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC)…. This study aimed to utilize community-led co-design methodology to evaluate misinformation regarding COVID-19 and develop contextual interventions to address misinformation in a marginalized peri urban slum communities of Landhi town Karachi, Pakistan.
In 2021, twenty out of twenty-one countries in the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) region introduced COVID-19 vaccines…. Using the theory-based “increasing vaccination model”, the drivers Thinking & Feeling, Social Processes, Motivation, and Practical Issues were adapted to the COVID-19 context and utilized in a cross-country assessment.
Due to its widespread use and popularity, social media can play a vital role in enhancing vaccine acceptance. This study in a real-world setting utilizes YouTube videos in Odisha, India where the platform has deep penetration among the 18–35 target population, and secondarily their family and peers.
The evolution of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from panel survey data
COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is considered important as a prerequisite for widespread vaccine take-up. Here, we study the dynamics of vaccine acceptance, its correlates, and reasons for hesitancy over time, drawing on two years of panel survey data.
This study identifies key social listening trends around COVID-19 vaccines in Eastern and Southern Africa and analyses how online conversations about this issue evolved over time.
Despite abundant evidence showing immunization as a lifesaving public health measure, a large proportion of Nigerian children are still not or fully vaccinated. Lack of awareness and distrust of the immunization process by caregivers are some of the reasons for poor immunization coverage which need to be addressed.
Although immunization is one of the most successful public health interventions, vaccine hesitancy and the COVID-19 pandemic have strained health systems, contributing to global reductions in immunization coverage. Existing literature suggests that involving community members in vaccine interventions has been beneficial, but efforts to facilitate community ownership to motivate vaccine acceptance have been limited.
VARN2022 Conference Report
Findings and insights from the Sabin Vaccine Institute’s inaugural VARN conference
