Question

Suppose you were the Commissioner of Health and believe in the Coase Theorem – ‘Provide at least three strategies you would employ (without government intervention) to “nudge” parents having their children inoculated. Giving this, without doing studies and research, “How successful do you believe your policies will be effective?”

Answer 1

The below methods can be used and these will prove to be very effective as well:

Parents who are trained by public health workers answer common questions about vaccines’ risks and benefits. Armed with that knowledge and paid small stipends, these advocates can go out to educate other parents. Many of the trained parents can go to Facebook to spread the pro-vaccine word; others set up information booths at school and community events.

Recruiting community members to become pro-vaccine leaders is unique, community-based approach, is very effective. More individuals will accept a flu vaccination if they receive a message saying a flu shot appointment has already been scheduled (along with information on how to cancel it) than if they are told how to schedule an appointment. The same default logic also appears to hold true with childhood immunizations. Phrasing vaccine decisions as a choice rather than a decided course increasess the odds that parents would refuse the recommended regime by almost 18-fold.

Rather than legislate opt-in rules, community trying a simpler approach that relies on the Internet, another top source of information used by parents. Health care providers are one of the most important sources of information in decisions about childhood vaccines, according to surveys of parents

The long term approach getting is getting today’s kids onboard with vaccination. Once they learn about the safety and importance of childhood inoculation then perhaps anti-vaccination will not be as big of an issue when they have their own kids.