Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39447171›Full record

ArticleJMIR formative research2024

Evaluating a WeChat-Based Intervention to Enhance Influenza Vaccination Knowledge, Attitude, and Behavior Among Chinese University Students Residing in the United Kingdom: Controlled, Quasi-Experimental, Mixed Methods Study.

Lan Li, Caroline E Wood, Patty Kostkova

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR formative research, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Lan LiCentre for Digital Public Health in Emergencies, Department for Risk and Disaster Reduction, University College London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-5532-5764
Caroline E WoodCentre for Digital Public Health in Emergencies, Department for Risk and Disaster Reduction, University College London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0001-5601-504X
Patty KostkovaCentre for Digital Public Health in Emergencies, Department for Risk and Disaster Reduction, University College London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-2281-3972

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundUniversity students, who often live in close quarters and engage in frequent social interaction, face a heightened risk of influenza morbidity. Still, vaccination rates among this group, particularly Chinese students, remain consistently low due to limited awareness and insufficient access to vaccinations.

objectiveThis study examines the effectiveness of a cocreated WeChat-based intervention that targets mainland Chinese university students in the United Kingdom, aiming to improve their knowledge, attitude, and behavior (KAB) toward seasonal influenza vaccination.

methodsA quasi-experimental mixed methods design was used, incorporating an intervention and comparison group, with baseline and follow-up self-reported surveys. The study was conducted from December 19, 2022, to January 16, 2023. The primary outcome is the KAB score, which was measured before and after the intervention phases. System-recorded data and user feedback were included in the analysis as secondary outcomes. A series of hypothesis testing methods were applied to test the primary outcomes, and path analysis was used to explore the relationships.

resultsOur study included 596 students, of which 303 (50.8%) were in the intervention group and 293 (49.2%) were in the control group. The intervention group showed significant improvements in knowledge, attitude, and intended behavior scores over time, whereas the control group had only a slight increase in intended behavior scores. When comparing changes between the 2 groups, the intervention group displayed significant differences in knowledge and attitude scores compared to the control group, while intended behavior scores did not significantly differ. After the intervention, the actual vaccination rate was slightly higher in the intervention group (63/303, 20.8%) compared to the control group (54/293, 18.4%). Path analysis found that the intervention had a significant direct impact on knowledge but not on attitudes; knowledge strongly influenced attitudes, and both knowledge and attitudes significantly influenced intended behavior; and there was a strong correlation between intended and actual behavior. In the intervention group, participants expressed a high level of satisfaction and positive review of the content and its use.

conclusionsThis study demonstrates how a WeChat intervention effectively improves KAB related to seasonal influenza vaccination among Chinese students, highlighting the potential of social media interventions to drive vaccination behavior change. It contributes to the broader research on digital health intervention effectiveness and lays the groundwork for tailoring similar interventions to different health contexts and populations.

Indexed as

Health Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticeInfluenza, HumanInfluenza VaccinesStudentsAdolescentAdultChinaFemaleHumansMaleSurveys and QuestionnairesUnited KingdomUniversitiesVaccinationYoung AdultInfluenza Vaccineshealth promotioninfluenza vaccinationintervention studymixed methodssocial mediastudents

Identifiers

PMID39447171
PMCPMC11544343

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.