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The limited participation of African Americans in clinical trials has been a topic of discussion among medical and scientific researchers for some time. With the testing of coronavirus vaccines, this discussion has continued, particularly given the disproportionate impact of the virus on members of the African American community. With the public health goal of achieving widespread or "herd" immunity, the concept of "vaccine hesitancy" has also been addressed with regard to the population in general, and in relation to the African American community, among others. Vaccine hesitancy has been reported among groups from healthcare workers to rural residents to the poor. As is the case with all segments of society, African Americans are not monolithic. However, there are aspects of the issue of vaccine hesitancy which are unique and specific to the African American community in the U.S. In particular, the nature of the information about the coronavirus itself and about the vaccine, and importantly, the increasing availability of the information about the Tuskegee experiment, Henrietta Lacks, and other cases, along with the prevalence of misinformation and disinformation on aspects of science, such as that involving vaccines, are relevant to understanding the nature of vaccine hesitancy among African Americans.
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Introduction/Objective Much was unknown initially regarding the triaging of scarce resources to manage the COVID-19 disease, particularly for prognosticating hospital admission needs, which contributed to the healthcare resource supply crisis. Thus, the authors developed the simple Jhala Risk Scoring System (JRSS). There is no report in the English literature that has explored a risk scoring system in patients with a SARS-CoV-2 sequencing result demonstrating different SARS-CoV-2 strains;hence, presented here is a first report. Methods/Case Report The JRSS assesses risk factor points based on patient's age, ethnicity, pulmonary medical history, cardiovascular medical history, diabetes history, smoking history, and laboratory parameters. From the veteran patients who had been sequenced for COVID-19 from March 2021 to June 2022 with available clinical notes or follow-up, the JRSS was applied to obtain a JRSS score. This JRSS score was then compared with the patient's admission status, SARS-CoV-2 sequence result, and survival. A JRSS score of 7 or greater would designate higher risk. Results (if a Case Study enter NA) There were a total of 11 COVID-19 positive patients meeting the inclusion criteria during the study period. 4 of these 11 patients were from March to May 2021. The patient ages ranged from 55-80 years of age and consisted of 2 Caucasian Americans and 2 African Americans. Of these 4 patients, 1 was treated as an outpatient (JRSS score 2), 2 were treated in the intensive care unit within which 1 expired (both JRSS score 9), and 1 was treated on the medical floor (JRSS score 7). All 4 patients from March to May 2021 sequenced to have Pango Lineage B.1.1.7. 7 of the 11 patients were from May to June 2022. The patient ages ranged from 69-86 years of age and consisted of 4 Caucasian Americans, 2 African Americans, and 1 decline to state. Of these 7 patients, 1 patient expired in the CLC (JRSS score 10). 5 recovered within the CLC with JRSS scores of 5, 7, and 8 for 2, 1, and 2 patients respectively. One patient required hospitalization (JRSS of 6 based clinically only as lab parameters were not performed). All 7 patients except for 1 sequenced for BA.2.12.1, a subvariant of Omicron. The 1 patient who sequenced with a different Omicron subvariant (BA.2.9) was one of the 5 patients who recovered from infection within the CLC. Conclusion The JRSS, developed early in the pandemic, is a very simple and highly successful system that helps in prognostication even with the Omicron outbreak.
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This essay begins with Nikole Hannah-Jones's assessment of the solidarity that has sustained African Americans' hope that our country can still make good on the promise of democracy. This social resilience has sustained BIPOC communities through the pandemic in ways that demonstrate how personal well-being is rooted in collective wellness. Research on students' understanding of social resilience has examined how feelings of dignity and self-sufficiency foster hope and enable collective agency. This dynamic is vital to culturally sustaining pedagogies that help students engage with the lifeways that help them feel connected and hopeful. We discuss critical hip hop pedagogy as an example of culturally engaged teaching that can cultivate students' social resilience by acknowledging the dignity of their communal experiences and traditions in ways that can sustain hope and enable collective action.
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Principal Harris, a new Black male principal at Merion High School, has found himself under fire for allegedly promoting critical race theory (CRT). He has received several forms of pushback as he navigates district and state mandates, racial trauma, invisible taxes, and microaggressions. Unfortunately, his best intentions are not good enough. This case is designed to display the various factors Black principals face in schools and districts amid ongoing public health crises (e.g., COVID-19 and racism). I describe the layered role of race, racism, and racial trauma on Principal Harris through his reflections and responses to stakeholders.
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"Certain compounds affect certain populations," said Diana Foster, PhD, vice president, Strategy and Special Projects, Society for Clinical Research Sites (SCRS). A 2013 study of 167 new-molecule-based therapies showed that one in five of them acted differently in minority groups, in different races and ethnicities.4 "Diversity certainly has a higher profile now, but pharma began funding [our Diversity Site Assessment Tool project] four years ago," said Foster. COVID-19 was not the irnpetus for pharma's current focus on diversity in its trials, said Marie-Pierre Hellio Le Graverand, MD, DSc, PhD, senior vice president and Pfizer's Clinical Development & Operations, Global Product Development lead. In 1932, J.M. Adams wrote about the differences in blood pressure levels between a "group of white and [African American] workmen" in the American Journal of Medical Sciences.7 Researchers then started reporting that different types of people react differently to medical therapies.
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BACKGROUND: Mistrust of the government and medical establishments are prominent reasons for vaccine hesitancy among African Americans (AAs). As COVID-19 research evolves in real time with some uncertainties remaining, AA communities may be less trusting of public health agencies. The purpose of these analyses was to assess the association between trust in public health agencies that recommend the COVID-19 vaccination and COVID-19 vaccination status among AAs in North Carolina. METHODS: A 75-item cross-sectional survey, the Triad Pastors Network COVID-19 and COVID-19 Vaccination survey, was developed and administered to African Americans in North Carolina. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between levels of trust in public health agencies who recommend the COVID-19 vaccine and COVID-19 vaccination status among AAs. RESULTS: Of the 1157 AAs included in these analyses, approximately 14% of AAs had not received the COVID-19 vaccine. These findings indicated that lower levels of trust in public health agencies significantly decreased the odds of getting the COVID-19 vaccination compared to those with higher levels of trust among AAs. The most trusted source for information on COVID-19 included federal agencies among all respondents. Among the vaccinated, primary care physicians were another trusted source of information. Pastors were another trusted source for those willing to be vaccinated. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the majority of the respondents in this sample receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, subgroups of AAs remain unvaccinated. Federal agencies have a high level of trust among AA adults; however, innovative approaches are needed to reach AAs who remain unvaccinated.
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The rise of Donald J. Trump as president of the US and the occurrence at the end of his term of the Jan 6, 2020, insurrection, as a stunningly violent event, have gained increasing traction in contemporary public discourses as the harbingers of dramatic societal crises and, arguably, as bellwethers of the disastrous decline of our nation as a noble experiment in democracy. In effect, these two major events are functioning within the confluence of a seemingly endless stream of occurrences--from outrageous efforts to suppress voting rights, to efforts to increase, rather than decrease, guns on the streets, to the persistent resistance to COVID-19 vaccinations in support of public health, to the most toxic public discourses that we have seen in recent history, and more. A frequent mantra has become the statement that these crises are pushing to reflect on where many might be going from this incredibly sobering era forward.
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See PDF ] Jitney, part of Wilson's American Century Cycle exploring African American life in each decade of the twentieth century, directly explores notions of community through its depiction of a group of jitney drivers, men who use their own vehicles to provide rides to those in need of them. While it initially seemed incongruous to see Jitney with its realistic interior setting in an outdoor performance venue, the sense of strangeness faded quickly as the production began. [...]performing outside a conventional theatre space made the production viable in a city in which the Delta variant precipitated a rapid rise in COVID-19 cases during its run. During the exorcism scene, for instance, Sir Toby drenched Malvolio with liquid sprayed from a large plastic container labeled "Holy Water," and Feste performed a toe-tapping number, "Devil Be Gone," backed by an enthusiastic red-robed gospel choir.
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The Covid-19 pandemic created an indelible mark on K-12 education - specifically, high school students transitioning to college and career. The global scope of this pandemic presented an opportunity to compare how high school cultures across the world adapted to the emergency. Further, news reports highlighted how communities of color were more susceptible to the pandemic. To better understand how the Black student experience in middle America compared to that of other students from the global community in responding to pandemic-related educational disruption, I used Krippendorffs content analysis procedures (2018) and a phenomenological interview process to gather and analyze data from 17 Black American high school students and 35 teachers. The central research question was: What are the experiences of Black students in middle America regarding educational disruption when compared to the experiences of high school students in other countries? The findings revealed that globally both students and teachers were primarily concerned with educational quality, teacher preparedness and substandard Internet service. Findings from twelve other countries confirmed that diminished Internet access and teacher unpreparedness were essential problems. However, Finnish districts which relied on government support seamlessly progressed through the interruptions in March 2020.
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Certain populations have been excluded from the benefits of telehealth and the recent advances and widespread use of technology in health promotion due to limited technology access. Although research has identified these specific groups, none has explored these issues using the social determinants of health (SDH) framework. This exploratory study aimed 1) to investigate technology access and 2) to identify associated SDHs. A cross-sectional research design was implemented, and participants were recruited from rural Alabama (N=185). Binary logistic regressions were conducted. Only 60% of participants had technology access. People with food insecurity and health illiteracy were less likely to have internet and PC/tablet access. In addition, older age was associated with a lower likelihood of access to a smartphone. This study provided insights into SDH correlates of the digital divide, particularly among rural African Americans, and indicated that addressing affordability could be a partial solution.
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As a historically marginalized group, African Americans experience social stigma resulting from the legacies of slavery and discrimination. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic presents unique challenges for African Americans in coping with pandemic-related stigma, specifically with implications for disease testing, treatment, and spread. This research focused on African Americans' experiences with social stigma during COVID-19. A diverse group of twenty-six African American adults participated in this study, which was guided by the social stigma frameworks of Goffman (1963) and Link and Phelan (2001). Thematic analysis of data suggests that participants expressed that COVID-19 created another layer of stigma and discrimination to manage. Additionally, participants viewed media and public health reports as further stigmatizing Black communities. Participants also reported urgency and responsibility for their well-being and agency in developing opinions on COVID-19 information. Findings offer insight into health communication approaches to address COVID-related stigma in public health messaging. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
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OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The purpose of this study is to compare the mental health of African Americans to Whites during 2019 and 2020 using the a National Survey on Drug Use and Mental Health (NSDUMH). METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Secondary data analysis from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The data consisted of 55,772 observations, 3,090 variables. This study will consist of the United State adult data population from 2019 and 2020 using the National Survey on Drug Use and Mental Health (NSDUMH). RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The results of this research will be produced from the following analysis. The analysis will consist of a secondary data analysis from the National Survey on Drug Use and Mental Health (NSDUMH). The primary independent variable of interest is race. All the indicator (race, sex, insurance, etc). Dependent variable is the mental health of African Americans and Whites. This is the variable in the NSDUMH labeled as the Major Depressive Episodes (MDE). The data analysis will be conducted using univariate analysis describing the study population. Bivariate analysis will be performed using chi-square. Since our dependent variable will be dichotomous we will be using several logistic regressions. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Strengthen mental health and psychosocial support services as part of strengthening preparedness, response and resilience to COVID-19 and future public health emergencies. Also adopt the updated Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan for the future.
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Black American women experience adverse health outcomes due to anxiety and depression. They face systemic barriers to accessing culturally appropriate mental health care leading to the underutilization of mental health services and resources. Mobile technology can be leveraged to increase access to culturally relevant resources, however, the specific needs and preferences that Black women feel are useful in an app to support management of anxiety and depression are rarely reflected in existing digital health tools. This study aims to assess what types of content, features, and important considerations should be included in the design of a mobile app tailored to support management of anxiety and depression among Black women. Focus groups were conducted with 20 women (mean age 36.6 years, SD 17.8 years), with 5 participants per group. Focus groups were led by a moderator, with notetaker present, using an interview guide to discuss topics, such as participants' attitudes and perceptions towards mental health and use of mental health services, and content, features, and concerns for design of a mobile app to support management of anxiety and depression. Descriptive qualitative content analysis was conducted. Recommendations for content were either informational (e.g., information to find a Black woman therapist) or inspirational (e.g., encouraging stories about overcoming adversity). Suggested features allow users to monitor their progress, practice healthy coping techniques, and connect with others. The importance of feeling "a sense of community" was emphasized. Transparency about who created and owns the app, and how users' data will be used and protected was recommended to establish trust. The findings from this study were consistent with previous literature which highlighted the need for educational, psychotherapy, and personal development components for mental health apps. There has been exponential growth in the digital mental health space due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, a one-size-fits-all approach may lead to more options but continued disparity in receiving mental health care. Designing a mental health app for and with Black women may help to advance digital health equity by providing a tool that addresses their specific needs and preferences, and increase engagement.
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OBJECTIVES: (1) Evaluate changes in medication adherence and the role of psychosocial and interpersonal factors on adherence. (2) Explain the changes in medication adherence based on patient perceptions of adherence behaviors. DESIGN: We used an explanatory sequential mixed methods design for surveys at baseline and 1-year follow-up, followed by interviews. The Integrated Theory of Health Behavior Change guided the design of a questionnaire including self-reported measures of medication adherence, psychosocial factors such as illness and medication beliefs, self-efficacy, and depressive symptoms, interpersonal factors including social support and patient-provider communication, and socio-demographic and clinical factors. A convenience sample (n = 228) of adult patients with type 2 diabetes who self-identified as Black/African American completed the mail/telephone surveys. Nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with respondents of both surveys who had changes in medication adherence. Descriptive, mean differential, bivariate correlational analyses, and content analysis was conducted. Data integration merged quantitative and qualitative results as a joint display. RESULTS: Response rates for the baseline and follow-up survey were 28% and 47% respectively. Medication adherence scores were significantly correlated with illness perceptions (r = .30) and depression (r = .25) at baseline, and self-efficacy (r = -.51) and depression (r = .37) at follow-up. Qualitative themes included patient perceptions of adherence behaviors, impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, health literacy and self-efficacy. Mixed methods integration showed contrasting perceptions of the same themes including adherence behaviors, medication beliefs, social support, and patient-provider communication among participants whose medication adherence increased and decreased overtime. CONCLUSION: Self-efficacy, diabetes beliefs, and depressive symptoms were key psychosocial factors that affected medication adherence among Blacks/African Americans. Contrasting perceptions of beliefs in medicines, social support, provider relationships and communication among increased and decreased adherence participant groups explained the changes in adherence, which can be used to adapt existing interventions.
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Black Canadians and Americans experience disparities in access to quality mental health care and mental health overall. Implicit biases are unconscious, automatically activated attitudes and stereotypes, with the potential to yield racist behaviors. To date, research has focused on health provider bias and resultant consequences in the decision-making/treatment of racialized groups. Little has been done to characterize implicit anti-Black biases within White and non-White members of the general population or examine the relationship between biases and Black people's mental wellness. Black-White Implicit Association Test (BW-IAT;n = 450,185) data were used to detect the presence of implicit biases within 10 ethnoracial groups and compare Bias Scores between Canada and the United States. Mean BW-IAT Bias Scores were also assessed against participant explicit biases using warmth ratings and the Modern Racism Scale (MRS). Finally, state-level BW-IAT scores were used to predict state-based Black American mental health-related mortality using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging ONline Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) data set. Findings indicated: (a) the most ethnoracial groups have anti-Black implicit biases;(b) Canadian and American implicit biases are near identical;(c) explicit and implicit Bias Scores are weakly related, and Canadian and American explicit biases are near identical;and (d) implicit bias predicts poor mental health outcomes for Black Americans, even when controlling for explicit bias and White outcomes. This work underscores the need to dismantle ideologies of White superiority and the resultant oppressive attitudes, stereotypes, and behaviors present in the general population. This work also calls for accessible, province-level, race-based mental health data on underserved groups.Alternate :Les Canadiens noirs et les Afro-Américains font face à des disparités en ce qui concerne leur accès à des soins de santé mentale et particulièrement des soins de santé mentale de qualité. Les préjugés implicites sont des attitudes et des stéréotypes inconscients, soient des pensées automatiques, qui peuvent potentiellement provoquer des comportements racistes. Jusqu'à présent, les recherches à ce sujet ont mis une emphase sur les préjugés des prestataires de soins de santé et les conséquences qui en découlent dans la prise de décision et le traitement des groupes racialisés. Peu d'études ont été menées dans le but de mettre en évidence les préjugés implicites anti-Noirs chez les personnes de race blanche et les personnes d'autres races parmi la population générale ou d'examiner la relation entre les préjugés et le bien-être mental des Noirs. Les données du Black-White Implicit Association Test (BW-IAT;n = 450 185) ont été utilisées pour déterminer la présence de préjugés implicites au sein de 10 groupes ethnoraciaux et comparer les scores des préjugés entre le Canada et les États-Unis. Les scores moyens des préjugés du BW-IAT ont également été évalués par rapport aux préjugés explicites des participants à l'aide des warmth ratings et du Modern Racism Scale. Par la suite, les scores BW-IAT dans les différents États ont été utilisés pour prédire le taux de mortalité lié à la santé mentale des Noirs américains à l'aide de l'ensemble de données CDC WONDER. Les résultats indiquent que (1) la plupart des groupes ethnoraciaux ont des préjugés implicites anti-Noirs;(2) les préjugés implicites canadiens et américains sont presque identiques;(3) les scores de préjugés explicites et implicites ont une faible corrélation, et les préjugés explicites canadiens et américains sont presque identiques;et (4) les préjugés implicites prédisent de conséquences négatives sur la santé mentale des Noirs américains, même en contrôlant les préjugés explicites et les résultats des personnes blanches. Ces travaux soulignent la nécessité de démanteler, au sein de la population dans son ensemble, es idéologies de supériorité de la race blanche et les attitudes, stéréotypes et comportements oppressifs qui en découlent. Ce travail appelle également à l'accessibilité des données sur la santé mentale axées sur la race des groupes faiblement desservis, au niveau provincial.
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Obesity has reached an epidemic level of 75 million obese adults and 15 million obese children in the United States. The research problem addressed in this study is the lack of information on how obese people manage their weight-loss strategies to prevent or reduce obesity during shut-in place restrictions for the COVID-19 Pandemic. This study included the Prochaska and DiClemente Trans-Theoretical Model of Behavioral Change and the Stage of Change Theory. The phenomenon approach using phenomenology described participants' lived experiences of being obese. The researcher completed data collection and evaluation among sixteen participants using email questionnaires to analyze participant's responses to answer research questions on the lived experiences of African American adult women in Horn Lake, MS. Findings and recommendations from the study indicated the impact the COVID-19 Pandemic had on the African American population for participants in Horn Lake, MS is due to limited access to healthy and fresh foods, supply chain disruption, and panic buying. Data showed decreased physical exercise due to the closure of gyms, closure of neighborhood parks, and cancellation of sports and other activities increased obesity rates. Future recommendations from the study should include researchers interviewing a more significant number of obese people to assess the relative prevalence of the general population to understand how obese people increase the risk of severe illness because of the COVID-19 virus. This study can influence positive social change through educational awareness programs by helping public health officials educate African American women on obesity and the COVID-19 virus to help the community better self-manage their health during COVID-19. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
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Racial color-blindness is a meritocratic ahistorical false belief surrounding the denial, minimization, and distortion of the existence of racism that has detrimental effects on health. Critical race theory effectively centered race for this analysis. Faculty of all races except African American/Black had higher racial color-blindness than students on all 3 of the following sub-concepts of the Color-Blind Racial Attitudes Scale: Unawareness of Racial Privilege, Institutional Discrimination, and Blatant Racial Issues. These are all disadvantages to student success and show that nursing faculty may not be optimally poised to speak on the social determinants of health. Findings also showed that Latina/o/Hispanic students and students of "All Other Races" were less aware of racial privilege than White and Black/African American students. Students with lower GPAs were less aware of racial privilege and those with higher GPAs were more racially color-blind on the sub-concept of Institutional Discrimination. The sample for this study, comprised of nursing students and nursing faculty in a selection of California Community Colleges across Southern California was much more diverse than those in other similar studies where the sample was comprised predominantly of White people. A cross sectional within-subjects descriptive research design was used. Participants completed the Color-Blind Racial Attitudes Scale. While the Everyday Discrimination Scale was completed to control for experiences of discrimination in their level of racial color-blindness, it did not show a statistically significant relationship. Of the faculty in the sample, 52% were non White compared to the national average of 15.9% non-White for nursing faculty. The findings related to first language and language spoken at home are a strong indicator of the high diversity of the sample. English was the first language for 58% of the students and 86% of the faculty. English was the language spoken at home for 73% of the students and 91% of the faculty, while 67% of students and 65% of faculty were born in the United States. The year 2020 had unique historical events surrounding the dual pandemic of COVID-19 and racism. The heightened sensitivity to racism and police brutality as a result of the murder of George Floyd surely had some influence on the data collected for this study. The results support interventions related to raising awareness about color-blind racial attitudes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
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On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a global pandemic. There were no approved medications or treatments to cure the coronavirus resulting in an unprecedented acceleration of the COVID-19 vaccine development. Vaccine hesitancy in the Black American (BA) population is well documented and can be attributed to the historical lack of trust BA have in the health care system and government. Black Americans have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Deaths and morbidity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the BA population is a public health concern. To design culturally competent education for providers, it is important to understand how this population is affected by and what they believe about the COVID-19 virus to facilitate uptake of the vaccine and reduce COVID-19 related health disparities in this population. The purpose of this study is to examine older BA experiences, beliefs, and perception of COVID-19 as it relates to their willingness to get a COVID-19 vaccine. This study examines whether older BA adults' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and knowledge of COVID-19 illness mediate their decision to get the COVID-19 vaccine. A cross-sectional, descriptive correlational research design was used for this study. Participants completed a telephone survey that measured demographics, cognitive status, personal experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, Health Belief Model constructs, and intent to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Of 230 older BA participants, negative experiences endorsed by the majority of participants included illness of a family member (49.6%), successful in getting tested (62.2%), isolation at home (66.1%), death of a family member (25.2%), and quarantine related to a suspected infection (12.6%) and under half (n=107, 46.5%) of the participants believed that COVID-19 is a man-made phenomenon. Fifty percent (n=115) of the participants intended to accept the COVID-19 vaccine. This study provided a cross-sectional examination of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on older BA. Assessing the impact of inequities and social susceptibility can improve the understanding of risks and protective factors that can impact the health of older BA during the COVID-19 pandemic and improve COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
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Selected lower-tier occupational sectors were defined as essential during the early phase of the Covid crisis. Accordingly, that period provided an opportunity to explore whether certain African American lower-tier workers might have acquired a greater sense of dignity and value for their work. By drawing from the author's earlier research on low-income African Americans and a recent study of such workers, this essay explores how considerations of value and dignity in the workplace during early Covid inform about the prospects for organizing such lower-tier workers for union participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Work & Occupations is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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Public health messaging campaigns can be useful tools for addressing vaccine hesitancy. Behavior change theory-driven formative research, which guides campaign planners in message topic selection, is necessary for campaigns' success. However, such research cannot advise on how to communicate campaign messages. Information processing theories propose avenues through which messages can be made more persuasive.Focusing on Black Americans, this dissertation aims to test an approach to improve future public health messaging campaigns targeting COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Specifically, it investigates whether source credibility (an information processing theory variable) can enhance the persuasiveness of differentially promising campaign message topics. These message topics refer to beliefs associated with intention to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.Study 1 was a two-part belief elicitation. In the first part (Study 1A) participants (N=117) reported their most salient beliefs related to the COVD-19 vaccine in an open-ended survey. The second part involved topic modeling on 5945 tweets discussing the vaccine. Beliefs identified from these studies were transformed into cross-sectional survey items for Study 2. Results from this study highlighted the utility in combining traditional survey data with publicly available social media data to learn about the health concerns of a target population.Study 2 (N=500) identified beliefs varying in promise, following the Hornik & Woolf approach, to be transformed into message topics. Study 3 was a message experiment where participants (N=245) were exposed to messages, addressing either a "more" or "less" promising topic, designed to increase vaccination intention. The messages were also either communicated by a health professional, or layperson source. Results of Study 3 indicated no main effects of neither message promise, nor source credibility on vaccination intention. Messages targeting the "less" promising topic shifted the linked belief, but the belief was not associated with intention. Messages on the "more" promising topic did not shift the linked belief, but the belief was strongly associated with intention. Evidence from these studies underline the benefit of choosing the most promising message topics when planning a public health messaging campaign. These results also suggest that additional research is needed to identify credible sources for vaccine non-intenders, and other differentiating characteristics of this unvaccinated population to develop effective public messaging campaigns in the future. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)