JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

As communication technology advances and the digital divide grows, a deeper understanding of the influence of different information sources on vaccine uptake by generation can inform targeted public health intervention in times of future crisis. While the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the role of media sources on the decision to receive vaccines, no studies have focused on the impact of type and number of information sources in a population-based sample in California.

Objective:

In this study, we examined associations between Californians’ self-reported most relied-upon COVID-19 information sources, categorized by type and measured as a count, and their COVID-19 vaccination status using data collected for the 2022 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). To address differences in information preferences and vaccine uptake by age, we also tested for potential effect modification of the relationship between relied-upon COVID-19 information sources and vaccination status by generational membership (e.g. Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X, Baby Boomers, Silent Generation).

Methods:

We conducted a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the 2022 California Health Interview Survey. Vaccine status (any/none) was modeled as a function of information sources (or count) controlling for important socio-demographic and health confounding variables. Interaction terms of information sources (or count) by generational status were added to the models to test effect modification, and if significant, the models were stratified by generation. All analysis was survey-weighted to account for the complex survey sampling design.

Results:

Compared to relying on traditional news media for COVID-19 information, relying on “word of mouth” was associated with 40% lower odds (CI: 0.44-0.82), social media with 38% lower odds (CI: 0.51-0.77); and doctors with 59% lower odds (CI: 0.29-0.57); of being vaccinated for COVID-19. Additionally, a dose-response relationship was identified with each additional informational source associated with 9% higher odds of being vaccinated for COVID-19 (CI: 1.04-1.15). In stratified models, social media, compared to traditional news media, was associated with lower odds of vaccination for Generation X, Baby Boomers, and the Silent Generation.

Conclusions:

Health information preferences, especially for traditional news media, are associated with COVID-19 vaccine uptake and the information sources differ by generation. These findings provide valuable insights for public health and governmental agencies interested in developing tailored future messaging strategies and for stakeholders interested in vaccine hesitancy, health informatics and health literacy and future health information outreach programs during epidemics or pandemics. Dissemination of public health information should include multiple information sources to reach all individual preferences across different generations.