The Vaccine Activation Measure (VAM™): Validation of a New Segmentation Tool for Understanding Vaccine Hesitance and Confidence
Author(s)
Zoe Moon, BSc MSc PhD1, Vivian Auyeung, BSc MSc PhD1, Chloe Grimmett, MSc PhD1, Michelle Harley, MBBS2, Jurgens A. Peters, MBChB, MBA, MPH, MSc, DTM&H2, Silvia Bodini, N/A3, Rob Gray, BSc (Hons), MBA, DipM3, Robert Horne, PhD FRPS FFRPM4, Jacob Crawshaw, BSc, MSc, PhD5.
1Spoonful of Sugar, Brighton, United Kingdom, 2AstraZeneca, London, United Kingdom, 3Personia Health, Brighton, United Kingdom, 4University College London, London, United Kingdom, 5Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
1Spoonful of Sugar, Brighton, United Kingdom, 2AstraZeneca, London, United Kingdom, 3Personia Health, Brighton, United Kingdom, 4University College London, London, United Kingdom, 5Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Presentation Documents
OBJECTIVES: The Vaccine Activation Measure (VAM™) segments people into four activation levels based on their beliefs about vaccines and was originally validated for COVID-19 Vaccination (N=439). To further validate the VAM, we investigated whether VAM scores predict uptake of vaccination against childhood flu.
METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey of a representative sample of parents in England offered flu vaccination for their child by the NHS. Parents were segmented into 4 categories of vaccine activation where 1 = low and 4 = high, based on their responses to the Beliefs about Medicine Questionnaire adapted for childhood flu vaccination. To establish the predictive value of VAM scores, we examined vaccination uptake at each of the VAM levels.
RESULTS: Responses from 1,494 parents of children 2-16 years were analysed. 30% of parents refused flu vaccination. Vaccine acceptance was predicated by the VAM with higher VAM scores associated with higher rates of vaccine uptake: 91% of parents at VAM Level 4 accepted the vaccine (n=867); 66% of parents at VAM Level 3 (n=174); 44% at VAM Level 2 (n=191) and 21% at VAM Level 1 (n=262). In a logistic regression model, sociodemographic variables accounted for 4% of the variation in vaccination. Inclusion of VAM increased this to 52%. When controlling for gender, ethnicity, household income and education, those at VAM Level 1 had 57 times higher odds of accepting vaccination compared to those at Level 4 (OR=57.37; 95% CI=57.37-90.78). Those at VAM Level 2 and 3 had 19- and 2- times higher odds of accepting vaccination.
CONCLUSIONS: VAM scores strongly predicted childhood flu vaccine uptake. The findings demonstrate the utility of the concept of vaccine activation and the validity and value of the VAM as a pragmatic segmentation tool. The VAM can be applied to triage and tailor public health interventions to support informed decisions about vaccination.
METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey of a representative sample of parents in England offered flu vaccination for their child by the NHS. Parents were segmented into 4 categories of vaccine activation where 1 = low and 4 = high, based on their responses to the Beliefs about Medicine Questionnaire adapted for childhood flu vaccination. To establish the predictive value of VAM scores, we examined vaccination uptake at each of the VAM levels.
RESULTS: Responses from 1,494 parents of children 2-16 years were analysed. 30% of parents refused flu vaccination. Vaccine acceptance was predicated by the VAM with higher VAM scores associated with higher rates of vaccine uptake: 91% of parents at VAM Level 4 accepted the vaccine (n=867); 66% of parents at VAM Level 3 (n=174); 44% at VAM Level 2 (n=191) and 21% at VAM Level 1 (n=262). In a logistic regression model, sociodemographic variables accounted for 4% of the variation in vaccination. Inclusion of VAM increased this to 52%. When controlling for gender, ethnicity, household income and education, those at VAM Level 1 had 57 times higher odds of accepting vaccination compared to those at Level 4 (OR=57.37; 95% CI=57.37-90.78). Those at VAM Level 2 and 3 had 19- and 2- times higher odds of accepting vaccination.
CONCLUSIONS: VAM scores strongly predicted childhood flu vaccine uptake. The findings demonstrate the utility of the concept of vaccine activation and the validity and value of the VAM as a pragmatic segmentation tool. The VAM can be applied to triage and tailor public health interventions to support informed decisions about vaccination.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2025-05, ISPOR 2025, Montréal, Quebec, CA
Value in Health, Volume 28, Issue S1
Code
PCR153
Topic
Patient-Centered Research
Topic Subcategory
Adherence, Persistence, & Compliance
Disease
SDC: Pediatrics