Most children in the Netherlands take part in the National Immunisation Programme. Participation is high enough that fewer people become seriously ill or die from infectious diseases. But the participation rate (or vaccination coverage) does not always stay steady at that high level. It is higher in some groups than in others. If fewer people are vaccinated, then the Netherlands will see more people becoming ill, and more outbreaks of the diseases that we vaccinate against. That is why RIVM launched the SocioVax research programme. Through SocioVax, we are researching what could help increase vaccination coverage. For example, we can explore how communication about the National Immunisation Programme can better meet parents’ needs. And we can look at ways to maximise ease of access to the vaccination programme so it is available to everyone.
Aims of the SocioVax research programme
SocioVax aims to answer the following questions:
- How do people choose whether or not to participate in the National Immunisation Programme?
- What differences do we observe between people, and how can we explain those differences?
- Why does participation in vaccination change over time?
- How can we inform people and help them choose?
- How can we offer vaccination programmes in such a way that participating is as easy as possible?
Read more about the aims of SocioVax.
The 3 main aims of SocioVax are listed below.
- Understanding why people choose whether or not to be vaccinated
SocioVax is researching participation in vaccination based on various factors. This includes socio-demographic, socio-psychological and environmental factors. In this context, we also look at differences in participation in vaccination, and at how participation in vaccination changes over time. - Knowing what works
Through SocioVax, we want to know how we can inform people more effectively about vaccination, and how we can offer people more effective assistance in making choices about vaccination. We also want to know how to maximise ease of access to vaccinations. In this context, we pay particular attention to the groups that we are not currently reaching to a sufficient extent. - Sharing knowledge
The knowledge acquired from the SocioVax research programme is shared with professionals and policy-makers working in the field of communication about and implementation of vaccination programmes.
Behavioural and social drivers of vaccination
Our research makes use of the model on ‘Behavioural and social drivers’ provided by the World Health Organization (WHO). The model maps out four domains that influence the decision to get vaccinated, and shows how those domains interact. The explanatory notes below offer more details about the domains.
The model on ‘Behavioural and social drivers’ provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) maps out four domains that influence the decision to get vaccinated:
- Thinking and Feeling, such as:
- the perceived disease risk
- vaccine confidence (e.g. perceived benefits, safety and trust in institutions) - Social Processes, such as:
- social norms (includes support of family and religious leaders)
- recommendations from health workers - Motivation, such as:
- the intention to get the recommended vaccinations - Practical issues, such as:
- availability
- affordability
- ease of access
- service quality
Source: The Behavioural and Social Drivers (BeSD) Framework. Based on Brewer et al. Psychol Sci Public Interest. (2017)
Supporting healthcare professionals
SocioVax focuses primarily on the National Immunisation Programme for children and adolescents aged 0–18 years. Some sub-studies also offer insights into adult vaccinations, such as the flu vaccine. The outcomes are intended to support professionals, government administrators and policy-makers in the public healthcare system.
SocioVax results
SocioVax was launched in 2023. The first step was an exploratory qualitative study. To that end, we spoke with youth healthcare professionals to learn about their first-hand experiences in implementing the National Immunisation Programme. In addition, we conducted a literature review to identify which determinants or circumstances play a role in choosing whether or not to be vaccinated. Another literature review looked at actions, strategies and measures that could increase vaccination coverage.
The results of these studies are already available online:
- Study: determinants of willingness to be vaccinated and participation in vaccinatioDeterminants and circumstances that play a role in willingness to be vaccinated and participation in vaccination for the flu vaccine as well as the vaccines in the National Immunisation Programme.
- Study: interventions to increase vaccination coverage
Based on literature and interviews with professionals working in youth healthcare services.
Various SocioVax studies are still ongoing. Results are still expected from survey-based research, in-depth research and studies on interventions and effectiveness.
Contact
Would you like to be updated about the SocioVax results? Or do you have questions? Feel free to contact the researchers at sociovax@rivm.nl.