COVID-19 Vaccine Literacy of Family Carers for Their Older Parents in Japan

Abstract

In super-ageing Japan, COVID-19 vaccinations were starting to reach older people as of June 2021, which raises the issue of vaccine literacy. This study focuses on family members who work and also care for their older parents, as they are at risk of COVID-19 and also risk transmitting COVID-19 to the parents they care for and potentially influencing their parents’ vaccine uptake. Such family carers are central to the approach in Japan to achieving a sustainable and resilient society in response to ageing. Contrasting family carers’ COVID-19 vaccine literacy with their overall health literacy provides insights into their preparedness for COVID-19 vaccinations. The purpose of this study is to understand how vaccine literacy, compared to health literacy, varies across family carers and the sources of information they use. Through a cross-sectional online survey, family carers’ vaccine literacy, health literacy and their sources of information, including mass media, social media, health and care professionals, family, colleagues, friends, and others, were assessed. The participants’ (n = 292) mean age was 53, with 44% women, and an average of 8.3 h per week caring for their parents. Notwithstanding the increased risks from COVID-19 with age, COVID-19 vaccine literacy relative to health literacy for older family carers is lower on average, higher with increased provision of care, and more variable, resulting in a substantial proportion of older family carers with relatively low vaccine literacy. At this stage of vaccine rollout in Japan, family carers’ sources of information to inform COVID-19 vaccine literacy is distinct, including more national and local mass media versus less health and care professionals and informal networks, which indicates the importance of tailored health communication strategies to enhance vaccine literacy.

Vaccine Literacy and Source of Information about Vaccination among Staff of Nursing Homes: A Cross-Sectional Survey Conducted in Tuscany (Italy)

“…This leads us to hypothesize that social and healthcare professionals have a greater ability than the general population to move across the health information landscape, as well as a higher level of trust in the healthcare system information channels. This appears to be quite dissimilar with respect to the results reported by Costantini [ 21 ] in a study involving Japanese familial caregivers, in which national television was the most popular source of information on COVID-19 for the youngest caregivers (56%), followed by social media (37%), doctors (35%), national newspapers (29%), local television (27%), family (24%), and local newspapers (20%).…”

“…Before the COVID-19 pandemic, very few tools had been implemented to assess VL [ 10 , 17 , 18 ], while from 2020 onwards, specific tools devoted to measure COVID-19 VL have been developed and used [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. Recently, Biasio et al developed the HLVa-IT (Health Literacy Vaccinale degli adulti in Italiano—Vaccine health literacy for adults in Italian language) to measure VL among Italian adults [ 17 ].…”

Role of literacy, fear and hesitancy on acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine among village health volunteers in Thailand

“…People with low VL have difficulty accessing health information, leading to poor vaccine decision-making. Individuals with high VL are able to access, comprehend, analyze, assess and disseminate vaccine information to others [30]. Therefore, encouraging individuals to have high levels of PLOS ONE…”

Vaccine literacy: A concept analysis

“…It focuses on the response of caregivers of the older population and how their presence in the care facility would impact the vaccination decisions of aging parents. Constantini (2021) said that the study's goal is to look at vaccination literacy and health literacy based on how the participants assess their sources of information, mass media, social media, professions, colleagues, friends, and others. The study included 292 participants and looked at their ages, genders, and work hours.…”