Summary of Nyhan et al. (2014)

In the journal article, “Effective Messages in Vaccine Promotion: A Randomized Trail”, Nyhan, Reifler, Richey and Freed (2014) argue that none of the pro-vaccine messages work effectively because parents’ attitudes affect or reduce the intent to vaccinate. The authors held two online-based surveys (closed answer questions and likert scale) among parents who were 18 years old with one or more child aged 17 years or younger. It was done to test the effectiveness of vaccine promotion to reduce misperception about vaccines and immunization practices and increase vaccination rates for MMR.  Nyhan et al. (2014) found that pro-vaccination messages reduced people’s misconception about the link between autism and MMR. However, the promotions resulted in a decrease in the intention to vaccinate among people who had the least favorable attitude towards vaccination. As a result, researchers suggested that vaccination advertisements must be tested before making it public to analyze their effectiveness. Nyhan et al. (2014) concluded that this study goes against the common belief that correcting misinformation about vaccines leads to an increase in vaccine acceptance and more study is needed for pro-vaccine messaging.

Reference

Nyhan, B., Reifler, J., Richey, S., & Freed, G. (2014). Effective messages in vaccine promotion: A randomized trial. American Academy of Pediatrics, 133(4), 1-8. http://www.pediatrics.org/cgi/doi/10.1542/peds.2013-2365