Effect of a pharmacist-led infodemic management intervention on perception, willingness to receive and pay for adult vaccines among civil servants in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Introduction Misinformation surrounding the use of vaccine is prevalent, particularly in developing parts of the world, promoting vaccine hesitancy among vulnerable populations and posing a significant public health risk. Objective To assess the outcome of an implemented infodemic management intervention on the perception, willingness to receive, and willingness to pay for adult vaccines among civil servants in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Methods It was a pre–post quasi-experimental study conducted among civil servants in Akwa Idom State, Nigeria. Participants’ perception towards adult vaccines, their willingness to receive, as well as their willingness to pay for the vaccines was assessed using a suitably designed, pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire at baseline and then after the implementation of a pharmacist-led infodemic management intervention. Obtained data was analyzed using the IBM statistical programme and service solutions (SPSS) version 25.0, with descriptive and inferential statistics such as the Pearson’s chi square test and students t-test used where applicable. p < 0.005 was considered statistically significant. Results Three Hundred and seventy-seven persons participated in both pre and post intervention evaluation. Vaccine perception score among the respondents was significantly increased post-intervention (pre-intervention = 5.713 ± 1.723 vs. post-intervention = 6.679 ± 0.962; t-test = -9.505; p = 0.0001). The number of participants willing to receive the vaccines increased following the intervention (pre-intervention = 328 vs. post-intervention = 343; χ 2 = 3.046; p = 0.081). Furthermore, the number of participants willing to pay for vaccine significantly increased post-intervention (pre-intervention = 200 vs. post-intervention = 241; χ 2 = 9.807 p = 0.02). Conclusion The intervention was associated with a significant improvement in the perception and willingness to pay for adult vaccines among the participants. Infodemic management interventions can effectively improve uptake of adult vaccines. Clinical trial number Not applicable.