Page 17 - CIRN Annual Report 2017-18

UPDATE FROM THE NETWORK LEAD
DR. EVE DUBÉ

Vaccines have eradicated smallpox, nearly how well news coverage informs public understanding.
eliminated polio, and have led to major reduc- 4. Vaccinating pregnant women: are maternity care pro-
tions of serious infectious diseases. Due to viders hesitant? Investigated the determinants of Ca-
these successes new generations are unaware nadian family physicians’, obstetrician-gynaecologists’,
of the risks of many vaccine-preventable nurses’, and midwives’ willingness to recommend and/
diseases, and concerns now often focus on or administer vaccines to their pregnant patients.
the individual vaccines themselves. The Social
Sciences and Humanities Network (SSHN) is In 2018/19, the SSHN will continue work on fi ve studies:
a multidisciplinary network regrouping social
scientists and humanities researchers across 1. Developing and evaluating public health messages to
address vaccine hesitancy: Will identify which commu-
Canada to examine the ethical, legal, and social impli- nication strategies show promise for reducing parental
cations of vaccine programs. SSHN projects focus on vaccine hesitancy, specifi cally looking at the role of
vaccine acceptance and vaccine hesitancy with the goal narratives.
of generating evidence and approaches that will enable
vaccination programs, healthcare providers, and policy 2. Addressing vaccine hesitancy: pan-Canadian valida-
tion of an effective strategy: Will evaluate the impact of
decision-makers to address vaccine hesitancy and achieve motivational interviewing on parents’ intention to vac-
greater vaccination acceptance.
cinate their infant and vaccine uptake at 12 months.
The SSHN members are Canadian and international lead- 3. Determinants of HPV vaccine uptake in school-based
ers in research around vaccine hesitancy and acceptance. programs in Canada: Will allow to better understand
SSHN researchers sit on a number of federal and inter- the determinants of HPV vaccine uptake in school-
national committees, and their work is recognized as a based vaccination programs in Canada in order to
theoretical basis for research in this area in Canada. identify promising strategies.
In 2017/18, SSHN researchers completed four research 4. Identifying effective communication materials to en-
projects: hance vaccine acceptance: Will develop communica-
tion materials for enhancing vaccine acceptance that
1. Mapping vaccine hesitancy in Canada: Designed to both follow evidence-based risk communication crite-
provide a contextualized understanding of vaccine ria and meet the needs and preferences of parents.
hesitancy and its determinants in Canada.
2. Vaccine hesitancy in Canadian parents: Designed to 5. Unpacking vaccine hesitancy among perinatal health-
care providers: infl uences on beliefs and practices. An
develop an instrument to measure the prevalence of ethnographic study that will explore vaccine hesitancy
vaccine hesitancy in Canadian parents and to monitor in maternity care providers and their perceptions of
vaccine hesitancy online using digital detection tools.
information interventions aimed at increasing their
3. Vaccine hesitancy: a “wicked” risk communication acceptance and promotion of vaccines for pregnant
problem: Examined media coverage of vaccine pre- women and infants.
ventable diseases and vaccination in order to measure

Jane Heffernan Laurence Monnais Karina Top Mark Yudin
York University Université de Montréal Dalhousie University University of Toronto
Cindy Jardine Gina Ogilvie Dat Tran
University of Alberta University of British University of Toronto
Columbia COLLABORATORS:
Kevin Katz Jordan Tustin
North York General Hospital Monika Naus Ryerson University Cora Constantinescu
BC Centre for Disease University of Calgary
Noni MacDonald Control Nancy Waite
Dalhousie University University of Waterloo Monica Brown
Jennifer Potter University of British
Shannon MacDonald University of Manitoba Kumanan Wilson Columbia
University of Alberta Ottawa Hospital Research
Vineet Saini Mary Wiktorowicz
Heather MacDougall University of Calgary Institute York University
University of Waterloo Sarah Wilson
Chantal Sauvageau Michelle Wyndham West
Samantha Meyer Université Laval Public Health Ontario York University
University of Waterloo Holly Witteman
Audrey Steenbeek
Dalhousie University Université Laval
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