A coordinated strategy to develop and distribute infographics addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and misinformation

Rotolo, Shannon M.; Jain, Shikha; Dhaon, Serena; Dokhanchi, Jack K.; Kalata, Elzbieta; Shah, Tejal; Mordell, Lisa J.; Clayman, Marla L.; Kenefake, Alexandra; Zimmermann, Laura J.; Bloomgarden, Eve; Arora, Vineet M.

BACKGROUND Visual communication strategies are becoming increasingly prevalent for conveying information to healthcare professionals as well as to the general public. The potential of social media for rapid knowledge dissemination using infographics was recognized early in the COVID-19 pandemic by healthcare professionals. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to describe a coalition of healthcare professionals’ approach to developing infographics about COVID-19 vaccines, and the reach and engagement of those infographics when shared via social media. METHODS Infographics were created by a core team within the coalition following a stepwise approach. Each underwent a multi-step review process, readability evaluation, and translation into Spanish. Infographics were then shared via multiple social media platforms. They were grouped into one of three categories for this analysis: COVID-19 Vaccine Series, Myth Debunkers, or Other. RESULTS All infographics had greater outreach, impressions, and engagement on Twitter than they did on other platforms. When comparing the three groups, no one infographic type was consistently higher performing than the others. CONCLUSIONS Each infographic reached thousands to tens of thousands of people. We do not know whether or not those who viewed these infographics changed their perspective on vaccination, so are unable to draw conclusion about their impact on vaccine hesitancy based on this study alone.