Is there someone in your life who is hesitant about receiving the COVID vaccine? Are you looking for a way to allay their fears about getting inoculated?
Rupali Limaye, a behavioral and social scientist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, might have a way for you to persuade that loved one to get vaccinated without the conversation devolving into a shouting match.
In conjunction with Johns Hopkins, she created a free two-hour online course that’s open to the public and aimed at helping get past the misinformation about the vaccine.
“COVID Vaccine Ambassador Training: How to Talk to Parents” is available on the Coursera website at no cost in an effort to get everyone educated about vaccinations.
Limaye had the idea after spending the summer of 2021 answering tons of vaccine questions asked of her by family and friends, and she’s uniquely qualified to do so: Limaye has been studying vaccine hesitancy for the last 10 years.
She told NPR that those with vaccine hesitancy aren’t always trusting of their doctor’s advice, but that hearing the facts from someone they do trust can be powerful. “We've had such an erosion of trust in the health care system and in public health that we should really leverage the peer-to-peer approach, right?”
Limaye’s goal is to give everyone the tools to beat back misinformation with empathetic discussion in the service of getting the vaccination rate up, especially among children. Only 28% of kids aged 5-11 have gotten at last one shot of the COVID vaccine as of January 18, 2022.
“While I can explain how there is no microchip in the vaccine,” Limaye said, “it's really important for me to be able to listen and be empathetic instead of being dismissive.”
She also said it is best to be direct and concise and to repeat the truths about the vaccine often during the conversation. It’s also important, she said, to be understanding rather than dismissive in the face of falsehoods. “I understand that there's a lot of information out there, and it's really hard to discern what is true and what is not true. Let me tell you what I know” is an example of how to move away from misinformation without being confrontational.
Limaye also suggests asking open-ended questions in the face of vaccine doubts – “How do you feel about this? What are you worried about? How can I help you think through this? What would help you make a decision?” – Questions like these help you understand the specific concerns your loved one may have.
