ArticleBMJ open2021
Pragmatic cluster randomised control trial using Vaxcards as an age-appropriate tool to incentivise and educate school students about vaccination.
Article in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Leveling up immunization: a systematic review of gamification interventions to improve Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake.BMC public health · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThis trial aimed to determine if return rates of consent forms for vaccination could be improved when Vaxcards were offered as an incentive to school children.
settingNineteen schools in South East Melbourne participated.
interventionsStudents in the experimental arm received a pack of Vaxcards when they returned their government consent form. OUTCOME MEASURES: Return of 'yes' consent forms for vaccination as part of a local government council vaccine programme was the primary outcome of this trial. Return rates were compared between the intervention and control schools and with historical return rates.
resultsSecondary school students (N=3087) from 19 schools participated. Compared with historical returns, a small global reduction in 'yes' responses to consent forms of -4.21% in human papilloma virus consent 'yes' responses and -4.69% for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis was observed across all schools. No difference between the experimental and control groups was observed.
conclusionsLow 'yes' consent rates and reduction in consent rates between 2018 and 2019 for all groups are concerning. This finding highlights the need for behaviour change interventions across all groups to increase vaccine confidence. Lack of effect of incentivisation with Vaxcards in this study may have been due to the timing of receiving the cards (after the decision to vaccinate had been made, not before) and the limited intensity of the intervention. Optimising the timing and the intensity of exposure to Vaxcards could improve the outcome. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ACTRN12618001753246.
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Registered trials
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