A review of Canadian online resources providing information on COVID-19 vaccination for caregivers of children aged 5–11 years

Abstract

Background and objectives

Vaccination is one of the most searched health topics online, yet the quality of resources varies considerably. This study evaluated the quality of Canadian COVID-19 vaccines online resources for caregivers of 5–11-year-old children.

Methods

We reviewed Canadian public-facing websites from academic pediatric hospitals, governments, professional organizations, and public health authorities until April 22, 2022. Inclusion criteria included English/French resources targeting caregivers of 5–11-year-olds, presented as webpages, FAQs, posters/infographics, and/or videos. Reliability, readability, and understandability/actionability were appraised using the JAMA Benchmark, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, and Patient Education Material Assessment Tool for Printable/Audiovisual materials, respectively. We used a content checklist to assess key vaccine topics (e.g., effectiveness and safety). Descriptive statistics included Fisher's exact and ANOVA tests.

Results

Of 1046 websites screened, 43 primary webpage clusters and 141 secondary webpages were analyzed. Twenty (46.5 %), 9 (20.9 %), 7 (16.3 %), and 7 (16.3 %) primary webpage clusters belonged to government, academic pediatric hospitals, professional organizations, and public health authorities, respectively. The mean JAMA Benchmark score was 3.47 ± 0.55 (out of 43). Of 43 clusters, only five (11.6 %) scored at or below a US 6th-grade education level. While 42/43 (97.7 %) primary clusters including printable materials were understandable (PEMAT-P > 70 %), only 7/43 (16.3 %) were considered actionable. The mean content score was 12.65 ± 3.60 (out of 20) among the 43 primary clusters. No differences in quality were seen across organization types, except for actionability (p = 0.016).

Conclusions

Although most Canadian webpages on COVID-19 vaccines received high scores in understandability, areas requiring improvement in actionability, readability, and content were identified.