Precision Vaccine Promotion in Underserved Populations

Not Applicable

Completed

Brief Summary: Previous studies have shown that low-cost, behavioral nudges through texting can increase influenza vaccination uptake compared to usual care. However, there are limited studies that evaluate the effect of decreasing barriers to scheduling, especially within safety net populations. The setting for this study, DHS, is the second largest public delivery system in the country and serves approximately half a million diverse patients that are eligible for vaccinations annually. This pilot study (one arm in a larger randomized controlled trial) will examine the effect of text messages highlighting MediCal health plan transportation resources (vs standard text messaging) on influenza vaccination rates in adults during the 2022-2023 flu season.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (LACDHS) primary care patients over 6 months of age

Exclusion Criteria

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Standard Texts with Transportation messaging	Text messaging	Patients randomized to this study arm will receive standard texts plus transportation messaging including a phone number for patients to reserve transportation to a vaccination appointment based on MediCal health plan transportation resources: #FirstName#, your flu shot is ready! Call your clinic at #ExternalRefNo# or visit the LA Health Portal at http://bit.ly/BookFluShot if you want this shot held for you. You can call #Health Plan Phone Number# to schedule a free ride for your flu shot through #HealthPlanName#.
Standard Texts	Text messaging	Patients randomized to this study arm will receive a standard text reminding them about the importance of influenza vaccination. The standard texts will include a clinic call back number and patient portal self-scheduling for patients to schedule their influenza vaccines: #FirstName#, your flu shot is ready! Call your clinic at #ExternalRefNo# or visit the LA Health Portal at http://bit.ly/BookFluShot if you want this shot held for you.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Number of Participants Vaccinated at the End of the Campaign Period	6 months	Number of Participants who received their influenza vaccination during the campaign period, as measured in the California Immunization Registry (CAIR2) to include vaccinations occurring both inside and outside the LADHS system. We assessed baseline vaccination status at the beginning of the flu season and excluded individuals who already received their vaccination.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Heterogeneity of Treatment Effects for Demographics	6 months	Heterogeneity of treatment effects for demographic groups (previous vaccination status: vaccinated or unvaccinated)