Comparative Effectiveness of Two Educational Health Mass Media Messages Different in Format

Abstract

Background: Meningitis B (MenB) is a rare but serious disease. Vaccination is an effective means to prevent MenB. It is recommended by the CDC that universities should consider all media delivery methods when aiming at immunizing a university population. Objective: To compare the effect of multi-modal (audiovisual with text) with single mode (text-only) health messages on knowledge, perceptions, and intention to obtain the MenB vaccine using the Health Belief Model. Methods: We recruited 121 first-year college students for a two-group randomized prospective study. Participants received either online audiovisual with text or online text only educational material. Participants’ knowledge, perceptions, and intention were assessed before and after exposure to the interventions. Results: No significant difference was found in mean score improvement of knowledge, perceptions, and intention for multi-modal compared to single mode educational material (p>0.05). Implications: Both audiovisual-with-text vehicle and text-only vehicle are effective educational tools for promoting vaccination among college students.