289715
An analysis of the effects of education and ethics priming on college students' immunization beliefs
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
: 9:30 a.m. - 9:50 a.m.
Jillian Leikauskas,
Department of Medical Laboratory and Radiation Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
Burton Wilcke, PhD,
Department of Medical Laboratory and Radiation Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
Education has always been considered an effective way to promote immunizations and other positive preventive health behaviors. In a study which involved surveying 345 undergraduate college students, specific informational strategies were found to both improve individual knowledge of the influenza vaccine and also increase openness to being immunized against influenza. Further, this study showed that openness to immunization was increased even more when individuals were primed with a statement about the risks of transmission of the influenza virus to others. The belief among a subset of respondents that the influenza vaccine was not effective correlated with a stated lack of concern about the risks of transmission to others and a lack of concern about other community member's health during influenza outbreaks. The same belief that the influenza vaccine was not effective also correlated with respondent's stated lack of concern about their own health during influenza outbreaks. The results of this study suggest that education, especially education targeted towards communicating risk of transmission and the risk for community member's health, could be effective in changing the opinions and thus the actions of college students who might otherwise be skeptical about the benefits of vaccines and increase the likelihood that they would themselves be immunized against influenza.
Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Advocacy for health and health education
Public health or related education
Learning Objectives:
Describe the effect that education has on college students’ opinions towards the influenza vaccine.
Keyword(s): Health Education, Immunizations
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the principle investigator in a research project, which is also my honors thesis, on vaccinations for the past year. For the past four years I have been studying Medical Laboratory Science while giving my education a personal focus on public health. My scientific interests have been focused on health education and promotion.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
