RAPID: An Indigenous-Centered Approach to COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Acceptance

该项目的调查人员将与部落卫生组织合作，以更好地了解阿拉斯加西北部农村和偏远社区的疫苗决策，这些社区目前是美国COVID-19感染率最高的地区之一。这项研究有三个目标：确定疫苗接种的障碍；描述与疫苗接受和犹豫有关的决策动态；并评估公共卫生干预措施的影响。这项工作促进了对阿拉斯加人对疫苗的接受和犹豫的了解，并对一项创新的公共卫生干预措施进行了实地试验。这项以社区为基础的研究采用混合方法收集和分析数据。项目小组将与卫生保健提供者和社区领导人就接种疫苗的障碍和机会进行访谈。第二组半结构化访谈让参与者和家庭成员讲述有关疫苗决策的故事。主题包括影响决策的价值观和记忆，以及接种疫苗、感染和失去家庭成员的个人经历。经参与者许可，这些故事将构成文化上适当的外联材料的基础，供部落卫生组织使用。将通过焦点小组和对社交媒体和社区疫苗接种率的分析来评估这些材料的影响。项目结果将通过公共卫生会议发言和同行评议的期刊出版物传播给北极西北自治市的地方决策者。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Investigators on this project will collaborate with tribal health organizations to better understand vaccine decision-making in rural and remote communities in Northwest Alaska, which are currently experiencing some of the highest COVID-19 infection rates in the country. The research has three objectives: identify barriers to vaccine uptake; characterize decision-making dynamics related to vaccine acceptance and hesitancy; and evaluate the impact of public health interventions. The work advances understanding of vaccine acceptance and hesitancy among Alaskans and field tests an innovative public health intervention. This community-based study uses mixed methods to collect and analyze data. The PI team will conduct interviews with healthcare providers and community leaders about barriers and opportunities to vaccine uptake. A second set of semi-structured interviews engages participants and household members in storytelling about vaccine decision-making. Topics include values and memories that influenced decision-making and individual experiences of vaccination, infection, and loss of a family member. With participant permission, these stories will form the basis for culturally appropriate outreach materials for use by tribal health organizations. The impact of these materials will be evaluated using focus groups and analysis of social media and community vaccination rates. Project findings will be disseminated to local policymakers in the Northwest Arctic Borough, and through public health conference presentations and peer-reviewed journal publications.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.