Nursing Research and Sponsored Programs is pleased to highlight this month’s Featured Publication- Dr. Susan Passmore. co-authored by Morgan Medina, Lynne Cotter, Emma Henning, Mahima Bhattar, Sijia Yang, Emily Latham, Daniel Schultz, and Malia Jones!
Vaccination is one of the most effective, evidence‑based ways to protect children and communities from preventable disease. Rural pediatric immunization rates have been much lower than in urban populations, and public health nursing has attempted to address vaccine hesitancy in rural communities. Dr. Passmore and a community engaged study team asked rural parents about their perceptions of pediatric vaccination public service announcement (PSA) content. They paired a co-design method with discussions to gain insight to specific ad components. Participants had surprisingly similar language, image and logo preferences, along with similar reasons for why they made those selections. The article details specific likes, dislikes, and reasons behind them. This study informs public health communication strategies for rural communities, even where public health attitudes are mixed or unfavorable.
Passmore, S.R.*, Medina, M.N., Cotter, L.M., Henning, E.E., Bhattar, M., Yang, S, Latham, E., Schultz, D., & Jones, M. (2026). Co-designing effective pediatric vaccine promotion strategies: Insights from rural Wisconsin parents. Health Promotion Practice. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/15248399251391149
*UW-Madison School of Nursing