Askelson to Lead COVID Vaccination Study
Natoshia Askelson, senior research fellow in the Health Policy Research Program, will lead a project to examine COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy in less densely populated areas of Iowa and to promote community confidence in the vaccine.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will support the University of Iowa Prevention Research Center for Rural Health (PRC-RH), Iowa Public Health Association, and the statewide Iowa Immunizes Coalition as they team up with Iowa’s 17 micropolitan communities — localities with populations between 10,000 and 49,999 people — as well as public health leaders, community based organizations, health providers, and other community leaders to promote COVID-19 vaccine uptake among residents in these communities.
The year-long project will involve three phases: first, collecting data to understand who is not getting vaccinated and why; second, pilot testing interventions and strategies that have been shown to be effective; and third, disseminating successful interventions and strategies across the state. Read more about the study here.
Read a story in The Gazette about the study here.