Using community influencer groups to address COVID-19 misinformation and vaccine hesitancy in Uganda: a protocol for a prospective quasi-experimental study
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Date
2022
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BMJ open
Abstract
Coronovirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
misinformation has been reported globally and locally.
This has the potential to influence public risk perception
and reduce the acceptance of the COVID-19
vaccine.
This study aims to determine the prevalence of COVID-19
misinformation and vaccine hesitancy in Buikwe district.
The study will also pilot a social mobilisation intervention
using community influencers and determine its effect on
COVID-19
misinformation and vaccine hesitancy.
Methods and analysis The study will be conducted
using a quasi-experimental
study design, in which two
villages will be assigned to the intervention arm and two
villages assigned controls. A mixed-methods
technique
employing both quantitative and qualitative methods will
be employed. Data will be collected from healthy men and
women aged 18 years and older who reside in the selected
villages. The study will be implemented in three phases.
First, a baseline study of 12 in-depth
interviews with key
informants and 6 focus group discussions and a household
survey among 632 participants will be done. Second, an
intervention employing dialogue-based
social mobilisation
approach using 10-man
community groups per village
will be developed and implemented. These will be trained
and facilitated to educate and sensitise their communities
about COVID-19.
Third, an end-line
household survey
done after 6-months
of intervention implementation in
the four villages to assess the effect of the intervention
on COVID-19
misinformation and vaccine hesitancy. Post-intervention
qualitative evaluation will be done after the
endline quantitative assessment. Preliminary analysis of
the endline quantitative analysis will inform any revisions
of the discussion guides. Qualitative data collected
will be analysed using thematic content analysis while
quantitative data will be analysed using χ2 tests or logistic
regression, by intention-to-
treat
analysis.
Ethics and dissemination The study was reviewed
for ethics and approved by the Makerere University
School of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee,
reference number MakSHSREC-2020-
45
and the Uganda
National Council of Science and Technology, reference
number HS1140ES. Study finding shall be presented
to the district and national COVID-19
task force and at
scientific gatherings and published in a peer-reviewed
journal.
Description
Keywords
Community influencer groups, COVID-19, Misinformation, Vaccine hesitancy, Quasi-experimental study
Citation
Ssanyu JN, Kiguba R, Olum R, et al. Using community influencer groups to address COVID-19 misinformation and vaccine hesitancy in Uganda: a protocol for a prospective quasi-experimental study. BMJ Open 2022;12:e057994. doi:10.1136/ bmjopen-2021-057994