Knowledge Vax – IFMSA-Poland

Name of the activity: Knowledge Vax

Country/NMO: IFMSA-Poland

Program: Communicable Diseases

Contact information: contact [email protected] to get in touch with the Activity Coordinator

Type of the activity: Continuous Activity

Category: Education

Focus area: Work to increase rate of Vaccination

Sustainable Development Goals addressed: SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), SDG 4 (Quality Education)

Problem statement:

The COVID-19 pandemic had reinforced vaccine hesitancy in Poland well before the first vaccines were developed and approved. The long-term infodemic has made people of various socio-economical statuses doubt most or all of the available vaccines, putting children’s health at risk. Our country is now close to witnessing the herd immunity for diseases such as measles wane due to vaccine coverage approaching the 90% threshold  and continuing to spiral down. 

Target groups:

• General population
• Children
• Youth
• People with disabilities

Beneficiaries:

• General population
• Medical students
• Doctors
• Children
• Youth
• People with disabilities

Objectives:

1. To educate at least 500 primary and secondary school students in Poland about the biological mechanism behind the efficacy of approved vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccines available in Poland during each year of the activity’s duration.
2. To educate at least 500 primary and secondary school students in Poland about the process of clinical trials and safety measures to increase their resilience to misinformation related to side effects and general efficacy during each year of the activity’s duration.
3. To train at least 500 primary and secondary school students in Poland about the ways to combat vaccine hesitancy and misinformation in their local communities, including their families during each year of the activity’s duration.
4. To inform at least 500 primary and secondary students in Poland about the need to rely on the official vaccination regimens during each year of the activity’s duration.

Indicators of Success:

1. At least 400 primary and secondary school students are aware of how traditional and modern vaccines work and what is the biological cause of side-effects that can occur after vaccination during each year of the activity’s duration.
2. At least 400 primary and secondary school students can differentiate between reliable and unreliable sources of vaccine-related information during each year of the activity’s duration.
3. At least 70% of participants indicate that they feel more empowered to manage vaccine hesitancy in their communities.
4. At least 85% of participants indicate being informed about the need to comply with vaccination-related legislation in Poland and other countries.

Methodology:

IFMSA-Poland – through its 19 Local Committees, conducts in-person and virtual lessons in cooperation with primary and secondary schools in Poland. The Local Project Coordinator (LPC) is responsible for contacting the schools and collecting volunteers for each lesson that is taking place. 

One lesson’s duration is 45 minutes. 

1. Introduction – including a short mention of IFMSA-Poland’s involvement in Public Health-related educational projects
2. Pre-evaluation
3. The content itself is largely up to the volunteer – the national level provides materials (slides, infographics etc.) and SWG Activity examples, but the volunteers are advised to adjust the flow of the activity according to the group’s school grade and general attitude)
4. Any questions
5. Post-evaluation

Data is collected so that the final evaluation can contain information about the number of educated students.

All the materials used in the activity must be approved by the NPC (National Project Coordinator) or the NPO.

Plans for evaluation:

Evaluation is performed by the volunteer in charge of the lesson, then gathered by the Local Project Coordinator and the National Project Coordinator – finally it is analyzed by the NPO Asst for Evaluation.

Pre-evaluation:

1. Five basic questions about the vaccine myths that check the basic knowledge of the participant. All of those questions are then answered in the presentation.
2. One additional question concerning the COVID-19 vaccine safety (Do you think it is safe to get a COVID vaccine?)

Post-evaluation:

1. Choose all reliable vaccination-related news sources from a list of outlets and other sources to check the ability to differentiate between those that are reliable and unreliable.
2. Participants are asked to name at least 3 vaccines that are approved for use in Poland.
3. Participants are asked to name at least 3 ways to approach vaccine-hesitant individuals
4. Participants are asked whether the lesson made them more empowered to tackle vaccine hesitancy and misinformation.

External collaborations:

None other than schools that we cooperate with