Feasibility and Acceptability of Using Private Facebook Groups to Promote COVID-19 Vaccination Among Latino Parents

Abstract

COVID-19 vaccine uptake among U.S. Latino adults was slower than that of other groups during the pandemic, and younger Latino children were underrepresented among vaccinated populations. Parental vaccine hesitancy has been an important barrier, often stemming from concerns about safety, effectiveness, side effects, and exposure to social media misinformation. We conducted a 5-week study in 2022 using two private Facebook groups (n = 55 intervention and n = 65 control) to test the feasibility, reach, and acceptability of daily COVID-19 prevention and vaccine educational content among Spanish-speaking Latino parents. Effects on vaccine beliefs, intentions, and uptake were also assessed. Study participants completed baseline and follow-up surveys, and engagement was assessed using Facebook analytics. Feedback from intervention participants regarding content, moderators, and group experience was positive. Participants agreed that posts were informative (4.3/5), trustworthy (4.2/4), and addressed COVID-19 vaccine concerns (4.2/5), and that moderators were well-informed (4.3/5) and helpful (4.2/5), and they would recommend the group to friends (4.4/5). Participants remained in the group for the 5-week period, and had, on average, 36.4 post views, 10.6 reactions, and three comments. All participants reported greater COVID-19 vaccine-supportive beliefs at follow-up compared with baseline; these beliefs increased more among intervention participants, although differences were not statistically significant. When asked why participants had not yet vaccinated their children, concerns were related to potential side effects, safety, and perceptions that the vaccine was developed too quickly. This intervention approach shows promise for Latino parents in terms of feasibility, reach, and appeal, and preliminary evidence suggests potential to improve vaccine beliefs.