Journal of Medical Internet Research
Volume 21, Issue 10, 2019

Children Immunization App (CIMA) among Syrian refugees in Zaatari Camp, Jordan: Protocol for a cluster randomized controlled pilot trial intervention study (Article) (Open Access)

Khader Y.S. , Laflamme L. , Schmid D. , El-Halabi S. , Abu Khdair M. , Sengoelge M. , Atkins S. , Tahtamouni M. , Derrough T. , El-Khatib Z.*
  • a Department of Community Medicine, Public Health and Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan
  • b Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
  • c Department for Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), Vienna, Austria
  • d Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Education, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
  • e National vaccination program, Ministry of Health, Amman, Jordan
  • f Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
  • g Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, New Social Research and Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
  • h Health and Nutrition, UNICEF, Amman, Jordan
  • i European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Stockholm, Sweden
  • j Department of Community Medicine, Public Health and Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan, Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, Department for Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), Vienna, Austria

Abstract

Background: There are up to 19.4 million children who are still unvaccinated and face unnecessary deaths, especially among refugees. However, growing access to smartphones, among refugees, can be a leading factor to improve vaccination rates. Objective: This study aims to determine whether a smartphone app can improve the vaccination uptake among refugees and determine the app’s effectiveness in improving the documentation of vaccination records. Methods: We developed and planned to test an app through a cluster randomized trial that will be carried out at the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan. The study will be open to all parents who carry Android smartphones, have at least one child, and agree to participate in the study. The parents will be recruited to the study by trained volunteers at the vaccination sites around the Zaatari camp. Inclusion criteria will be the following: having at least one child of 0 to 5 years, being a local resident of the camp, and having an Android smartphone. Results: The intervention includes an app that will allow storing Jordanian vaccination records, per child, on the parents’ smartphones in Arabic and English (in an interchangeable fashion). Every record will have a set of automated reminders before the appointment of each child. The app will summarize immunization records in form of due, taken, or overdue appointments, labeled in orange, green, and red, respectively. Baseline will include the collection of our primary and secondary outcomes that are needed for the pre and postdata measurements. This includes social demographic data, any previous vaccination history, and electronic health literacy. Participants, in both study arms, will be monitored for their follow-up visits to the clinic for vaccination doses. For the study outcome measures, we will measure any differences in the uptake of vaccinations. The secondary outcome is to analyze the effect of the children immunization app on visits for follow-up doses. Conclusions: Owing to the limited evidence of effective interventions for childhood vaccination among refugees, research in this area is greatly needed. The project will have a significant impact on the health of refugees and the public health system. In Jordan and the Middle East, the vaccination level is low. Given the influx of refugees from the area, it is crucial to ensure a high vaccination level among the children. ©Yousef S Khader, Lucie Laflamme, Daniela Schmid, Soha El-Halabi, Mohammad Abu Khdair, Mathilde Sengoelge, Salla Atkins, Manal Tahtamouni, Tarik Derrough, Ziad El-Khatib.

Author Keywords

Refugees Jordan vaccines Syria Mhealth

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85073118640&doi=10.2196%2f13557&partnerID=40&md5=e3759fe960135fea8801e5969465add7
DOI: 10.2196/13557
ISSN: 14388871
Original Language: English