Impact of health education on promoting influenza vaccination health literacy in primary school students: a cluster randomised controlled trial protocol.

Abstract

Influenza is a major public health threat, and vaccination is the most effective prevention method. However, vaccination coverage remains suboptimal. Low health literacy regarding influenza vaccination may contribute to vaccine hesitancy. This study aims to evaluate the effect of health education interventions on influenza vaccination rates and health literacy. This cluster randomised controlled trial will enrol 3036 students in grades 4-5 from 20 primary schools in Dongguan City, China. Schools will be randomised to an intervention group receiving influenza vaccination health education or a control group receiving routine health education. The primary outcome is the influenza vaccination rate. Secondary outcomes include health literacy levels, influenza diagnosis rate, influenza-like illness incidence and vaccine protection rate. Data will be collected through questionnaires, influenza surveillance and self-reports at baseline and study conclusion. Ethical approval has been sought from the Ethics Committee of the School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University. Findings from the study will be made accessible to both peer-reviewed journals and key stakeholders. NCT06048406.