The role of educational interventions in the short-term and long-term to address public health issues and the participatory, action, and research cycle model to address public health issues
EVENT, INFLUENZA
Despite slight variation in demographics, findings demonstrated that overall, there was an increase in both attitude and knowledge regarding assessed variables immediately following intervention. While these results are encouraging for decreasing vaccine hesitancy in the short-term, Eitze et al. found that immediate increases in knowledge and risk perceptions of pneumococcal and influenza did not decrease vaccine hesitancy in the long-term (The decrease in attitude and knowledge over time seen in this study emphasizes the importance of utilizing educational interventions as a continuous process rather than a singular event. Therefore, we propose utilizing a modified version of the Participatory, Action, and Research (PAR) model to address vaccine hesitancy. PAR is an approach to research that emphasizes active participation by members in the target population (Proposal to modify the Participatory, Action, and Research (PAR) to the Participatory, Action, and Research Cycle (PARC) Model.The PARC model proposes a three-item cycle. The first is to participate in the community and to assess the attitude and knowledge of the community regarding a specific public health issue, such as vaccine hesitancy. During this part of the cycle, community members participate in an educational intervention, such as watching a video or reading an infographic. The following step is action. Community members will then apply what they have learned to make informed decisions about their body, such as receiving or not receiving a vaccine. The next step is research. During this step, researchers will reassess the participant’s knowledge and determine if there are gaps in knowledge. Gaps in knowledge are addressed and applied back during the next iteration of the cycle beginning with the participatory aspect. Reinforcing and solidifying knowledge through this active and reflective process gives the community members autonomy to use this newfound knowledge to determine what health decision is best for them.