Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Vaccine Education

This clinical trial seeks to address the challenge of improving childhood routine and HPV vaccine confidence and uptake in mainly indigenous rural communities in Guatemala. The study is designed with three distinct study arms to assess the effectiveness of culturally tailored interventions. The interventions include a social media campaign delivered via Facebook, as well as WhatsApp-based vaccine training for community healthcare workers. The ultimate goal is to determine whether these interventions have a positive impact on vaccination rates and confidence in the target communities.

The clinical trial is organized into three arms. The first arm comprises four communities that will receive only the culturally tailored social media campaign, designed to increase childhood routine and HPV vaccine confidence and uptake. This campaign is specifically targeted at these communities through geographic targeting on Facebook. The second arm includes four communities that will receive both the social media campaign and WhatsApp-based vaccine training for community healthcare workers. Finally, the third arm, serving as the control group, consists of four communities where there will be no intervention.

The primary research questions guiding this clinical trial are as follows:

• Does the culturally tailored social media campaign, deployed via Facebook and geographically targeting randomly assigned communities, increase childhood routine and HPV vaccine confidence and uptake in mainly indigenous rural communities in Guatemala?
• Does WhatsApp-based vaccine training for community healthcare workers increase vaccine uptake in these communities?

In the second arm of the study, community healthcare workers will actively participate in WhatsApp training sessions. These sessions are designed to enhance their knowledge and communication skills related to vaccine education and advocacy. They will be encouraged to use the WhatsApp platform to engage in discussions, ask questions, and support one another in their efforts to effectively communicate the importance of childhood vaccinations with their patients.

Additionally, the clinical trial includes the collection of pre-post surveys from individuals who are caretakers of children under 5 years old. These individuals will be recruited from local health facilities, with a total of 600 participants across the three arms (200 from each intervention group and 200 from the pre-intervention phase). Surveys will be conducted in Spanish, K'iche', and Kaqchikel languages, allowing for a comprehensive assessment of vaccination uptake, hesitancy, and barriers/facilitators of vaccination.

To evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions, researchers will conduct a thorough analysis, comparing the three study arms. The analysis will involve several components:

• Comparing the first arm, which receives social media messaging only, to the control group to assess the impact of the social media campaign.
• Comparing the second arm, receiving both social media messaging and healthcare worker WhatsApp training, to the control group to determine the combined impact of these interventions.
• Lastly, comparing the two intervention groups to each other to identify any differences in effectiveness between the interventions.

Statistical methods, including regression analysis and interrupted time series analysis, will be employed to assess the impact of the interventions on the primary outcomes, which include childhood routine and HPV vaccine confidence and uptake.

In conclusion, this clinical trial represents a rigorous effort to address vaccination challenges in indigenous rural communities in Guatemala. By leveraging social media campaigns and healthcare worker training via WhatsApp, the study aims to improve vaccine confidence and uptake, ultimately contributing to better public health outcomes in these underserved populations.

Inclusion criteria

• speaks a local language,
• live in the area,
• over age 18 and
• cares for a child 5 years or younger

Exclusion criteria

• Not an adult,
• not on social media