National Vaccine Advisory Committee Meeting February 4, 2010

Stephanie A. MarshallNational Vaccine Program Office2010 Communications Plan

NVPO 2010 Communications Plan

• Presentation Outline Message mapping and audience

research project• Background • Focus group findings• Communications recommendations

2010 NVPO Communications Workplan Discussion

Message Mapping & Audience Research Project• Background

Initiated in October 2008 – led by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (OASPA) in response to growing concerns regarding vaccine safety

Supported by several HHS Operating Divisions and Staff Divisions – OASPA, NIH, and HRSA

Goal: Create and test message maps on vaccine safety

Message Mapping & Audience Research Project• Message Mapping Session

Two-day session in November 2008 Attended by communications staff and subject matter

experts from HHS OpDivs and StaffDivs Led by Dr. Vincent Covello, Director, Center for Risk

Communications Teams addressed a range of topics including adverse

events, vaccine schedule, vaccine production, and legal/ethical questions

28 draft maps produced Message maps modified and used during the H1N1

response

Message Mapping & Audience Research Project• Focus groups – November 2009

Shift from just testing message maps to identifying potentially effective communications strategies

Purpose: • Gain insights into:

Perceptions surrounding childhood vaccinations Sources of these perceptions Desired vaccine-related information; and Reactions to sample messages and message

approaches: scientific/informational, emotional, and anecdotal

Message Mapping & Audience Research Project• Methodology

Nine national computer-assisted telephone focus group sessions conducted

• Audience segments• Fully vaccinating mothers of young children• Partially vaccinating mothers of young children• Female health opinion influencers

68 women, age 21 or older, from 68 different municipalities in 25 states participated in the groups

Message Mapping & Audience Research Project• Overall Findings

How Do Moms Feel about Vaccines:• Are concerned about vaccines and vaccine safety (especially

risks such as autism)• Have lots of questions, want their questions answered, and need

more information• Don’t know or haven’t heard about the value and benefits of

vaccination

What Sources of Information Do Moms Trust?• Government (HHS, CDC, NIH, state and local governments)• Physicians/health care providers• Websites (government, WebMD, nonprofits, mass media such as

parenting magazine sites)• Moms want information before vaccination appointments and in

printed formats

Message Mapping & Audience Research Project

• Specific Findings Perceptions of Vaccination Value and Risk

• Participants reported recently hearing about the risks of vaccination but did not report recently hearing about the value and benefits of vaccination

• Participants expressed concerns about vaccinating young children with differing specificity and conviction but – most often – with questions

• Participants expressed that benefits often outweigh the risks but want reassurance in this decision

Message Mapping & Audience Research Project• Specific Findings Cont.

Questions relating to vaccination:• Why so many shots in such a short period of time?• What are the benefits and risks – especially long-

term risks – of each vaccine and what facts support that information?

• What ingredients are in each vaccine . . . . What country do they come from?

• In my state, what is the rate of vaccine-preventable diseases and how does that compare to the percentage of children who have, or have not been, vaccinated?

Message Mapping & Audience Research Project• Specific Findings Cont.

Trusted Sources• Participants wanted to hear, read, or see answers to their

questions from a variety of authoritative and trusted sources

Openings, Channels and Vehicles• They were most open to receiving and attending to

information in their doctor’s office (pediatrician or ob/gyn)

• They also wanted to encounter this information on trustworthy, impartial websites

• They did not want to encounter it on websites from those they perceived as biased or non-authoritative, such as industry, celebrities, blogs

Message Mapping & Audience Research Project

• Message Testing Results Value of Vaccines

• Participants were receptive to messages about the negative consequences of not vaccinating. Such information appeared to provide important support for the concept that vaccination is beneficial, continues to be needed, and is consistent with their self-image.

Message Mapping & Audience Research Project

Value of Vaccines Cont.• Benefits: Presenting information about the

consequences of some vaccine-preventable disease reinforced and reassured many about the value of vaccination

• Continuing threats: Participants reacted well to explanations that people can still be exposed to these diseases

• Sense of responsibility: The idea that vaccinating one's child protects those who are unable to be vaccinated – news to some and reinforcement to others – made good sense to them and tapped into a sense of social responsibility

Message Mapping & Audience Research Project• Message Delivery Approaches

Informational/Scientific• Participants were receptive to

“informational/scientific” approach message points that used concrete, detailed, and numeric or statistical information. They referred to most of these points as “facts.” They liked data such as reducing cases of deadly

contagious disease by specific percentages in specific time periods

Some felt the use of consequences of not vaccinating as “scary” or “fear mongering”

Message Mapping & Audience Research Project

• Message Delivery Approaches Cont. Emotional Engagement of Personal

Values• Messages relating to personal

responsibility and civic duty resonated • Inclusion of data sources supported

messages• Some viewed the approach as judgmental

Message Mapping & Audience Research Project

• Message Delivery Approaches Cont. Anecdotal

• Mixed response from participants Attention getting and realistic “Someone like me” Patronizing

Message Mapping & Audience Research Project• Communications recommendations regarding future

vaccine safety communications efforts: Target audience: mothers of young children Need to communicate when, where, and how to find the

soundest information relevant to vaccinating children Provide clear, current and relevant information that should be

readily available and updated by trusted sources Use medical appointments (peds and ob/gyn) to discuss the

value and risks of vaccination Messages, materials & tone should be supportive, respectful

and informative not prescriptive or judgmental

NVPO 2010 Communications Workplan

• Key initiatives Create a single HHS website for vaccine and

immunization information – Vaccines.gov Develop and support a strategic vaccine &

vaccine safety communications strategy Support National Vaccine Plan and begin

executing Goal 3 of the Plan

Vaccines.gov• Harness the Department’s expertise and

content to present information on a single site

• Target audience: Mothers• Information to reflect the lifespan from

childhood vaccines to vaccines for seniors• Target launch date: Summer 2010

Vaccine Communications• Build on the H1N1 experience• Support a strategic vaccines and vaccine

safety communications and outreach plan Situation and market analysis Audience definition and needs Materials development Outreach and partnership plan

National Vaccine Plan• Goal 3: Support informed vaccine

decision-making by the public, providers, and policy makers by providing accurate, timely, transparent, and complete information in appropriate formats and through appropriate channels

• Next steps: Finalize Plan, write implementation plan, execute plan

Discussion