Addressing COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Korean Americans Via Digital Storytelling: Lessons Borrowed from Vaccine Uptake Research

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has been causing high rates of hospitalization and death among the marginalized Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Disaggregated data revealed low COVID-19 vaccine uptake among Korean Americans/Immigrants (KA/I) due to vaccine-related fears unaddressed by cultural and linguistic barriers. Prior evidence demonstrates that digital storytelling (DST) is an effective medium to improve recommended vaccine intent and uptake among AAPIs. Objective: This DNP project aimed to assess the effect of DST intervention on improving KA/I’s COVID-19-related vaccine hesitancy, intent, and uptake. Methods: A quasi-experimental design was conducted, with participants (n=4) self-identifying as KA/I adults with English or Korean fluency residing in the U.S. Participants were recruited online via convenience sampling from CARE (Collaborative Approach for AAPI Research and Education). Individuals who had already received COVID-19 vaccines were excluded. The intervention included two first-person audiovisual stories documenting the personal experience of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Outcomes were measured via a pre-post-1-month-follow-up survey utilizing a modified Vaccine Hesitancy Scale (? = 0.72) and Narrative Quality Assessment Tool (? = 0.78-0.81). Results: DST intervention had a marginally significant effect on lowering post-COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy scores (p = 0.068). Participants (n=2) who rated the DST videos with a higher score indicated vaccine uptake at one-month follow-up. Conclusion: This cost-effective, sustainable, and scalable DST evidence-based project has the potential to promote COVID-19 vaccination among KA/I and other AAPI groups with appropriate modification.