Addressing vaccine hesitancy in First Nations communities

Western Queensland PHN’s Jibber Jabber campaign Western Queensland Primary Health Network

With vaccination as the main line of defence against COVID-19, reports of vaccine hesitancy among vulnerable populations in rural and remote Queensland were concerning. To address this, Western Queensland Primary Health Network (WQPHN) who is responsible for facilitating the COVID vaccine roll-out in selected outback populations in Western Queensland, spearheaded the ‘Jibber Jabber’ to raise awareness about the importance of getting accurate information about vaccines from reliable sources.

While vaccine uptake among the general population has been good, WQPHN’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health partners shared anecdotal reports of persisting vaccine hesitancy, with people concerned about the side effects and confused with the messages they were receiving from media, social media and other sources.

The ‘Jibber Jabber’ campaign encourages people to ignore the ‘Jibber’, defined as foolish or worthless talk, and instead talk to a ‘Jabber’, being someone who administers a COVID vaccine jab. The face of the campaign is Mount Isa doctor, Dr Marjad Page.

The campaign features a TV commercial with Dr Page encouraging people to come and see a ‘Jabber’ like him to discuss the vaccine.

‘Through this media campaign we were encouraging our First Nations communities to have a yarn with their local health clinic, be it an Aboriginal Health Worker, regular GP or other practice staff in community. The concern for community leaders was that the mixed messages and fearmongering that can spread by word-of-mouth or online, was very confusing for many individuals and families hence leading to hesitancy about getting vaccinated,’ said WQPHN Chief Executive, Sandy Gillies.

Sandy, a Gunggari woman and Winton local, says it’s important to approach this issue with a warm, welcoming tone. ‘We’ve been careful not to be pushy about getting a jab as we know heavy-handed approaches don’t work in First Nations communities or more broadly across our patch.’

‘We wanted to focus more on ensuring people have access to the right information first before making a decision about the vaccine, so that patients are armed with all the facts and are clear about what getting the vaccine means for them, their family and the community.’

The Nukal Murra Alliance, a collaboration between key Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health services in Western Queensland and the WQPHN, was integral in providing the on-theground information and cultural intelligence that informed the campaign.

View the Jibber Jabber campaign resources at: www.wqphn.com.au/commissioning/nukalmurra-health-support-services/jibber-jabber