Journal article
A 680,000-person megastudy of nudges to encourage vaccination in pharmacies
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS, v 119(6), e2115126119
08 Feb 2022
PMCID: PMC8833156
PMID: 35105809
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Significance
Encouraging vaccination is a pressing policy problem. Our megastudy with 689,693 Walmart pharmacy customers demonstrates that text-based reminders can encourage pharmacy vaccination and establishes what kinds of messages work best. We tested 22 different text reminders using a variety of different behavioral science principles to nudge flu vaccination. Reminder texts increased vaccination rates by an average of 2.0 percentage points (6.8%) over a business-as-usual control condition. The most-effective messages reminded patients that a flu shot was waiting for them and delivered reminders on multiple days. The top-performing intervention included two texts 3 d apart and stated that a vaccine was “waiting for you.” Forecasters failed to anticipate that this would be the best-performing treatment, underscoring the value of testing.
Encouraging vaccination is a pressing policy problem. To assess whether text-based reminders can encourage pharmacy vaccination and what kinds of messages work best, we conducted a megastudy. We randomly assigned 689,693 Walmart pharmacy patients to receive one of 22 different text reminders using a variety of different behavioral science principles to nudge flu vaccination or to a business-as-usual control condition that received no messages. We found that the reminder texts that we tested increased pharmacy vaccination rates by an average of 2.0 percentage points, or 6.8%, over a 3-mo follow-up period. The most-effective messages reminded patients that a flu shot was waiting for them and delivered reminders on multiple days. The top-performing intervention included two texts delivered 3 d apart and communicated to patients that a vaccine was “waiting for you.” Neither experts nor lay people anticipated that this would be the best-performing treatment, underscoring the value of simultaneously testing many different nudges in a highly powered megastudy.
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Details
- Title
- A 680,000-person megastudy of nudges to encourage vaccination in pharmacies
- Creators
- Katherine L. Milkman - University of PennsylvaniaLinnea Gandhi - University of PennsylvaniaMitesh S. Patel - AscensionHeather N. Graci - University of PennsylvaniaDena M. Gromet - University of PennsylvaniaHung Ho - University of ChicagoJoseph S. Kay - University of PennsylvaniaTimothy W. Lee - Northwestern UniversityJake Rothschild - University of PennsylvaniaJonathan E. Bogard - University of California, Los AngelesIlana Brody - University of California, Los AngelesChristopher F. Chabris - Geisinger Health SystemEdward Chang - Harvard UniversityGretchen B. Chapman - Decision SciencesJennifer E. Dannals - Dartmouth CollegeNoah J. Goldstein - University of California, Los AngelesAmir Goren - Geisinger Health SystemHal Hershfield - Anderson University - South CarolinaAlex Hirsch - University of PennsylvaniaJillian Hmurovic - University of PennsylvaniaSamantha Horn - Decision SciencesDean S. Karlan - Northwestern UniversityAriella S. Kristal - Department of Organizational Behavior, Harvard Business School, Boston, MA 02163Cait Lamberton - University of PennsylvaniaMichelle N. Meyer - Geisinger Health SystemAllison H. Oakes - AnthemMaurice E. Schweitzer - University of PennsylvaniaMaheen Shermohammed - Geisinger Health SystemJoachim Talloen - Decision SciencesCaleb Warren - University of ArizonaAshley Whillans - Harvard UniversityKuldeep N. Yadav - University of PennsylvaniaJulian J. Zlatev - Harvard UniversityRon Berman - University of PennsylvaniaChalanda N. Evans - University of Pennsylvania Health SystemRahul Ladhania - University of Michigan–Ann ArborJens Ludwig - University of ChicagoNina Mazar - Boston UniversitySendhil Mullainathan - University of ChicagoChristopher K. Snider - Penn Center for AIDS ResearchJann Spiess - Stanford UniversityEli Tsukayama - University of Hawaii–West OahuLyle Ungar - University of PennsylvaniaChristophe Van den Bulte - University of PennsylvaniaKevin G. Volpp - University of PennsylvaniaAngela L. Duckworth - University of Pennsylvania
- Publication Details
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS, v 119(6), e2115126119
- Publisher
- PNAS
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Pediatrics; Marketing
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000758487100011
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85123972905
- Other Identifier
- 991021861659604721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Psychology, Multidisciplinary