COVID-19 vaccine uptake among U.S. Latino adults has been slower than other groups, and younger Latino children continue to be underrepresented among vaccinated populations. Parental vaccine hesitancy has been an important barrier, often stemming from concerns about safety, effectiveness, side effects, and exposure to social media misinformation. The Brigada Digital de Salud was established in May 2021 to address misinformation by disseminating credible, science-based, and culturally-appropriate COVID-19 information in Spanish on social media platforms.
The researchers conducted a 5-week randomized controlled trial in August-September, 2022 using two private Facebook groups (n = 55 intervention and n = 65 control) to test intervention feasibility and acceptability of COVID-19 vaccine promotion among Spanish-speaking Latino parents. Also of interest were the effects of Brigada Digital content on vaccine beliefs, intentions, and uptake. Intervention participants received daily COVID-19 prevention and vaccination posts with prompts for interaction. All study participants completed baseline and follow-up surveys. Participant engagement was assessed using Facebook analytics