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Completed

NCT Number: NCT04787913

An Evaluation of a Dynamic Web-Based Visualization of Community Immunity

This study is a PhD project conducted by Ms. Hina Hakim, supervised by Dr. Holly O. Witteman, PhD, and co-supervised Dr. Daniel Reinharz, professors and researchers at the Faculty of Medicine at Laval University. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of visualization conveying the concept of community immunity or herd immunity on risk perception (towards individual, family, community and vulnerable people in communities) (primary outcome) and on emotions, attitudes, knowledge, and behavioural intentions (secondary outcomes).

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Key information

Conditions

Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Infections

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Université Laval

Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada

About this study

Visualization is a powerful communication mechanism that uses pre-attentive processing to communicate large amounts of information rapidly in understandable and compelling ways (Healey and Enns 2012). A systematic review demonstrates that there are some interventions available for conveying the concept of community immunity, and very few evaluate interventions for their effects on vaccine intentions and uptake as well as their precursors, such as knowledge, attitudes, knowledge and none on emotions (Hakim et al. 2018).

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of visualization conveying the concept of community immunity on risk perception (to individual, family, community and vulnerable people in communities) (primary outcome) and on emotions, attitudes, knowledge, and behavioural intentions (secondary outcomes).

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Members of the general population in Canada
  • At least 18 years old
  • Able to provide free and informed consent
  • Able to read and understand French or English
  • Able to use a computer

Exclusion criteria

  • No internet access

Treatment and study plan

herdimm

Behavioral

In this visualization participants can build their own avatar representing themselves and 8 other avatars representing people around them, like their family or coworkers. Our visualization then uses these avatars in a brief narrated video explaining how herd immunity works.

guardianmeasles

Behavioral

A screen capture of an interactive visualization: https://www.theguardian.com/society/ng-interactive/2015/feb/05/-sp-watch-how-measles-outbreak-spreads-when-kids-get-vaccinated

theotheredmundmeasles

Behavioral

A gif showing measles spreading through populations with differing levels of vaccine coverage: https://imgur.com/gallery/8M7q8#J7LANQ4

sbsnewsgeneric

Behavioral

A video showing how herd immunity works in general: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/two-sydney-babies-too-young-to-be-vaccinated-infected-with-measles

publichealthagencycanadaflu

Behavioral

A video showing how herd immunity works in the context of influenza: https://www.canada.ca/fr/sante-publique/services/video/la-grippe-n-en-passez-pas-les-maux.html

robertkochgeneric

Behavioral

A web-based application showing how herd immunity works in general: http://rocs.hu-berlin.de/D3/herd/

Primary outcomes

  1. Risk perception

    Time frame: immediately after intervention or control

    6 items assessing risk perception (item 1 = risk perception as comprehension, scale 0-100, higher numbers better; items 2-5 = risk perception as feelings, scale 1-7, higher numbers better; complete list of items and response wording available in uploaded questionnaire herdimm_phase3_questionnaire_2021-03-01.pdf)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Emotions

    Time frame: immediately after intervention or control

    5 items (e.g., "I am worried about getting [disease]", "I would feel guilty if a vulnerable person (a baby, a young child, an older person, a cancer patient) got [disease] from me") with a 7-point Likert-type response scale ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree"; higher numbers may be better; complete list of items and response wording available in uploaded questionnaire herdimm_phase3_questionnaire_2021-03-01.pdf

  2. Knowledge

    Time frame: immediately after intervention or control

    15 items, with 2 multiple choice questions and 13 true/false questions, for a total possible score ranging from 0 to 18; higher numbers better; complete list of items available in uploaded questionnaire herdimm_phase3_questionnaire_2021-03-01.pdf

  3. Trust in information

    Time frame: immediately after intervention or control

    Single item (Control: "During your life, you may have seen information about vaccines. Thinking about the information you have seen, how trustworthy was it?" Treatment: "Earlier, you saw a {{video, website}} about herd immunity. Thinking about the {{video, website}} you saw earlier, how trustworthy was the information in it?") with Likert-type response options 1 = not at all trustworthy, 2 = moderately untrustworthy, 3 = slightly untrustworthy, 4 = neutral, 5 = slightly trustworthy, 6 = moderately trustworthy, 7 = strongly trustworthy

  4. Vaccination intentions

    Time frame: immediately after intervention or control

    Questions conditioned on whether the participant indicates they believe they are already immune to the disease in question, e.g., "Imagine you were not already immune to {{measles/pertussis/influenza/a vaccine preventable disease}}. If you were eligible to receive a free vaccine against {{measles/pertussis/influenza/a vaccine-preventable disease}}, how likely would you be to get vaccinated?" Response scale on a slider: 0 = extremely unlikely, I would definitely NOT be vaccinated; 100 = extremely likely, I would definitely BE vaccinated; higher numbers better.

  5. 5C scale

    Time frame: immediately after intervention or control

    "5C scale: 15-item validated scale measuring the psychological antecedents of vaccination (Betsch et al., 2018)"

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Laval University

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2021
Primary completion
2021
Study completion
2021
First posted
Mar 9, 2021
Registry last updated
Aug 29, 2024

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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