Using text messages to boost COVID-19 vaccine booking rate (v1.0) [COVID-19]
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Using text messages to boost COVID-19 vaccination appointment booking and vaccination rates: A randomised controlled field trial.
IRAS ID
298649
Contact name
Hannah Behrendt
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NHS England and NHS Improvement
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN15317247
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Open Science Framework Registry, TBD
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 1 months, 6 days
Research summary
The aim of this study is to test whether behaviourally-informed (BI) text messages can increase the likelihood of booking and attending a COVID-19 vaccination appointment among the cohort aged 40 to 49 in England. The study is a collaboration between NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSEI), the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), and Public Health England (PHE).
Evidence suggests that whilst willingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19 is generally high in the UK, it may be lower among certain age and ethnicity groups. Additionally, high willingness to get vaccinated may not translate into high uptake, particularly as the vaccine rollout extends to younger cohorts. Currently, adults in England receive a text message when they are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination with instructions on how to book an appointment. This study aims to increase the effectiveness of text messages to improve vaccination uptake.
Anonymised vaccination booking and uptake records will be analysed to determine whether people who received BI-informed text messages are more likely (compared to those receiving a non-BI-informed control text message) to book for a COVID-19 vaccine within 72 hours of receiving the text message and subsequently receive a COVID-19 vaccination within 14 days.
REC name
South West - Cornwall & Plymouth Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/SW/0055
Date of REC Opinion
21 Apr 2021
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion