Health Promotion Learning Journey: Beginning to Navigate Vaccine Confidence

At this early stage, my understanding of this topic comes mostly from my experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and from following Canadian news and public health updates. I have noticed reports about measles and pertussis outbreaks in Canada that are often linked to lower vaccination coverage. These stories highlight that vaccine confidence is important for protecting communities and maintaining herd immunity (Public Health Agency of Canada [PHAC], 2025). I am beginning to understand that vaccine confidence is influenced by more than individual knowledge. Trust, social networks and broader community factors also play a role (Canadian Public Health Association [CPHA], 2015).

My personal learning goals are to better understand what vaccine confidence means in a Canadian public health context and how misinformation and disinformation influence people’s decisions. I want to explore how health promotion strategies beyond simply sharing information can help communities make informed vaccination decisions.

The Social-Ecological Model (CDC, 2025)

The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (WHO, 1986)

I am most excited to learn how frameworks like the Social Ecological Model (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018) and the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (World Health Organization [WHO], 1986) can guide public health strategies. These perspectives help me think about the multiple factors affecting vaccine confidence, from individual beliefs to community norms and societal systems. I am starting to see how health promotion must go beyond education alone to foster trust and supportive environments.

At the same time, I feel a little nervous about the complexity of this topic. Vaccine confidence is shaped by many interacting factors including social, cultural and systemic influences (CPHA, 2015). Looking ahead, I anticipate that connecting my observations from the pandemic and media with research evidence will be challenging, especially while keeping the focus on population health outcomes and equity.

Overall, what I most want to learn is how evidence-based interventions have successfully built vaccine confidence in Canadian communities, why they were effective and how they might be adapted for different populations. I am looking forward to learning more in the coming weeks and gradually building a deeper understanding of this important public health issue.

References

Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA). (2015, May). Global change and public health: Addressing the ecological determinants of health [Discussion document]. Canadian Public Health Association. https://www.cpha.ca/sites/default/files/assets/policy/edh-discussion_e.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). The social-ecological model: A framework for prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/violence-prevention/about/index.html#cdc_behavioral_basics_prevention-a-framework-for-prevention

Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). (2025). Vaccination coverage in Canada. Government of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/immunization-vaccines/vaccination-coverage.html

World Health Organization. (1986). Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. https://www.who.int/teams/health-promotion/enhanced-wellbeing/first-global-conference