January 02, 2026
Storytelling is a powerful tool that influences how we think, learn, and interact with the world, and a new study has found that community co-created text messages and storytelling may help improve influenza vaccination rates for children in underserved communities, including Black and African American children.
The study, “Narrative Reminder Recall to Improve Pediatric Influenza Vaccination” led by Denver Health pediatrician and researcher Josh Williams, MD, was published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open. The study found that text messages from community members and embedded links to digital stories – featuring community members and their personal narratives – were influential for caregivers deciding about getting influenza vaccines for their young children.
“Our goal was to uplift the voices of the communities we serve,” said Josh Williams, MD, the study’s lead investigator. “Caregivers who received texts messages written by their peers and watched their stories were 63% more likely to vaccinate their children by season’s end, compared to caregivers who received a usual prompt from our health system. To us, this means that community members can be trusted voices in the discussions we have to improve vaccine confidence and save lives.”
Seasonal influenza causes severe illness and even death in vulnerable communities. Already in Colorado, a child has died from the flu. Studies of pandemic and seasonal influenza have found children in racial and ethnic minority groups are 2 to 3 times more likely to get sick, be hospitalized and die from the flu. The seasonal influenza vaccine is recommended for all children aged 6 months and older.
“There’s lots more work to be done to optimize and spread stories,” said Williams, “but this study is the first attempt to implement text messages with community stories that we’re aware of. As a pediatrician who seeks to build trust – especially with those who have historically distrusted healthcare systems and providers – this was a rewarding and uplifting result. to see improved rates of vaccination when caregivers were able to connect with community members.”
