The Effects of Community-Based Education Programs on Vaccine Utilization in Minority Populations: A Rapid Review

In 2019, vaccine hesitancy was named by the World Health Organization as a top 10 global public health threat (Gidengil et al., 2019). Mistrust in physicians and pharmaceutical companies are often cited as a source of vaccine hesitancy by members of minority communities. Identifying vaccine-hesitant patients is critical to the development of interventions to increase vaccination rates (Orr & Beck, 2017). Community-based education programs (CBEP) are an effective tool to give specific and targeted support to communities experiencing health disparities (Healthy People, 2021). There is a need to explore the impact of education programs on health behaviors and barriers such as vaccine utilization and hesitancy within minority communities (Downes et al., 2019). This rapid review of the literature sought to explore and identify if CBEPs could have a significant impact on trust levels and vaccine utilization in minority populations. Searches were conducted in PubMed and Scopus. The 10 studies selected, published in the last 10 years, investigated the effectiveness of education programs on improving minority populations’ level of trust in the healthcare system and vaccine utilization. Results from the review demonstrated that significant improvement was made due to the implementation of community-based or specific education programs. CBEPs or specific education interventions have shown a significant impact on public health issues such as vaccine hesitancy and utilization, especially in underrepresented and underserved populations. Increased use of these programs will exponentially increase the reach of health education and push forward efforts to close the gaps in healthcare disparities