Preferences of community health workers for vaccine communication training programs in harbin, china: a discrete choice experiment

Abstract

Background

Good communication skills among community health workers (CHWs) can improve public vaccination decision-making and alleviate vaccine hesitancy. However, in China, standardized training to improve the vaccine communication skills of CHWs is insufficient and underemphasized. Accordingly, this study examined the training preferences for CHWs’ vaccine communication skills to meet the current needs of community-based vaccination services in China.

Methods

This study employed a discrete choice experiment (DCE) design conducted at five community health service centers in Harbin, China, between April and June 2021. Data collection included in-depth interviews and face-to-face administration of questionnaires. CHWs were recruited via convenience sampling, with eligibility criteria requiring participants to: hold vaccination qualification certificates; be full-time frontline staff with ≥ 1 year of vaccination experience; have no prior formal training in vaccine communication. A total of 164 valid questionnaires were included for analysis. Preferences for training programs were evaluated using a mixed logit model. The DCE attributes comprised training period (1 day, 3 days, 7 days), main content (vaccine basics, addressing common misconceptions, communication skills), delivery methods (online lectures, on-site seminars, case simulations), training scale (< 50, 50–100, > 100 participants), and feedback mechanisms (none, final feedback, stage-based feedback).

Results

Three attributes—training period, main content of the training, and training scale—significantly influenced CHWs’ training choices. CHWs preferred programs with shorter training cycles and fewer than 50 participants to improve their ability to share basic vaccine-related knowledge and had less desire to receive communication skills training. At the same time, we found no association of training modality on CHW preferences.

Conclusions

Using a DCE, this study investigated the preferences of CHWs for participating in a vaccine communication training program. CHWs preferred a one-day training cycle, training content focusing on vaccine basics, and a small number of people to be trained. The results of this study can inform policymakers and administrators when in China developing vaccine communication training programs for CHWs.