U.S. State Utilization of Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine Incentives

Nancy Chen

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Research Mentor(s): Caroline Hogan
Co-Presenter:
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation / Medicine
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: Session 5 – 3:40pm – 4:30 pm
Room: League Ballroom
Authors: Caroline Hogan, Nancy Chen
Presenter: 23

Abstract

Importance: Throughout 2021, many U.S. states utilized incentives to encourage COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Initially, incentives were targeted to adults and/or older adolescents; however, some were extended to younger children as vaccine eligibility expanded to 12- to 15- and 5-to 11-year-olds. The distribution and characteristics of pediatric vaccine incentives have yet to be described. Objective: To characterize state-level pediatric COVID-19 vaccine incentives in 2021. Design: Descriptive observational study of state-level pediatric COVID-19 vaccine incentives offered through December 2021, utilizing incentive lists published by the National Governor’s Association and supplemented with internet searches for additional incentives. Participants: Fifty U.S. states and D.C. (hereby referred to as a “state”) Exposure(s): State-level pediatric COVID-19 vaccine incentives, defined as (1) any state government-supported prize or payment requiring COVID-19 vaccination, which (2) children <18 years of age were eligible to receive. Main Outcome(s) and Measure(s): The main outcomes were incentive type (lottery, cash payment, scholarship, or “other”), duration, monetary value, and target population. Preliminary Results: Twenty-five U.S. states (25/51, 49%) offered at least one COVID-19 vaccine incentive to children. Among states with incentives, scholarships were the most common incentive type (19/25, 76%), followed by “other” incentives (16/25, 64%), cash payments (9/25, 36%), and lotteries (3/25, 12%). There were 5 lottery prizes offered by 3 states (median value: $302,000, min: $5,000, max: $1,500,000, median duration: 20 days); 24 cash payments offered by 13 states (median value: $100, min: $25, max: $250, median duration: 33.5 days); 30 scholarships offered by 19 states (median value: $50,000, min: $1,000, max: $300,000, median duration: 53 days); and 49 “other” incentives offered by 18 states, with substantial heterogeneity. Conclusions and Relevance: State-level pediatric COVID-19 vaccine incentives varied widely by type, duration, and monetary value in 2021, with most states opting for education and/or entertainment-related incentives. Future research should evaluate whether different incentive types and levels of value are associated with increased COVID-19 vaccination rates. Presentation link

Biomedical Sciences