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Community engagement to increase vaccine uptake: Quasi-experimental evidence from Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan

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  • Mujahid Abdullah
  • Taimoor Ahmad
  • Twangar Kazmi
  • Faisal Sultan
  • Sabeen Afzal
  • Rana Muhammad Safdar
  • Adnan Ahmad Khan

Abstract

Developing countries have been facing difficulties in reaching out to low-income and underserved communities for COVID-19 vaccination coverage. The rapidity of vaccine development caused a mistrust among certain subgroups of the population, and hence innovative approaches were taken to reach out to such populations. Using a sample of 1760 respondents in five low-income, informal localities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan, we evaluated a set of interventions involving community engagement by addressing demand and access barriers. We used multi-level mixed effects models to estimate average treatment effects across treatment areas. We found that our interventions increased COVID-19 vaccine willingness in two treatment areas that are furthest from city centers by 7.6% and 6.6% respectively, while vaccine uptake increased in one of the treatment areas by 17.1%, compared to the control area. Our results suggest that personalized information campaigns such as community mobilization help to increase COVID-19 vaccine willingness. Increasing uptake however, requires improving access to the vaccination services. Both information and access may be different for various communities and therefore a “one-size-fits-all” approach may need to be better localized. Such underserved and marginalized communities are better served if vaccination efforts are contextualized.

Suggested Citation

  • Mujahid Abdullah & Taimoor Ahmad & Twangar Kazmi & Faisal Sultan & Sabeen Afzal & Rana Muhammad Safdar & Adnan Ahmad Khan, 2022. "Community engagement to increase vaccine uptake: Quasi-experimental evidence from Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(12), pages 1-16, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0274718
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0274718
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Puhani, Patrick A., 2012. "The treatment effect, the cross difference, and the interaction term in nonlinear “difference-in-differences” models," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 115(1), pages 85-87.
    2. Tapati Dutta & Jon Agley & Beth E Meyerson & Priscilla A Barnes & Catherine Sherwood-Laughlin & Jill Nicholson-Crotty, 2021. "Perceived enablers and barriers of community engagement for vaccination in India: Using socioecological analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(6), pages 1-26, June.
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