Increasing COVID-19 Immunization Awareness in Rural Communities Through a Multimedia Campaign.

Purpose/objectives: The purpose of this project was to implement a multimedia campaign to increase COVID-19 vaccine awareness and acceptance in rural communities.

Description of project: This project was created and implemented in partnership with a public university in Michigan and targeted to rural Michigan communities. The campaign consisted of digital advertisements and video interviews with nurses from rural areas. Interview questions were developed using knowledge of the health belief model and allowed the nurses to share their COVID-19 stories. Video interviews were published to social media, and digital advertisements were targeted to rural areas via geofencing. A viewer response survey was provided to measure likelihood of behavior change after viewing.

Outcome: The campaign advertisements and videos reached 602 980 people during the implementation period, and 239 surveys were completed. Of the 53 unvaccinated respondents, 87% stated an increased likelihood to vaccinate.

Conclusion: This project supports the ability of the clinical nurse specialist to lead a multimedia campaign partnership that can reach thousands of people and increase the likelihood of vaccination. As the popularity of digital media continues to rise, clinical nurse specialists can embrace these channels to disseminate critical health information.