The moderating effects of demographic factors on the relationship between COVID-19 television messages and vaccine adoption behavior among youths in Kiambu County, Kenya

Abstract

Media content on health pandemics significantly shapes audience responses across different demographic groups. During the COVID-19 pandemic, television messages emphasized severity, susceptibility, and efficacy beliefs, aiming to simplify complex health information and provide coping mechanisms. These messages defined COVID-19, explained its causes, and recommended preventive measures to ease anxiety and reduce infections. Anchored in the Health Belief Model, this study examined the moderating effects of demographic factors on the relationship between COVID-19 television messages and vaccine adoption behavior among youths in Kiambu County, Kenya. A mixed-methods approach was applied, combining qualitative and quantitative data within a cross-sectional research design. The demographic variables analyzed were gender, age, education, and religion. Out of 384 youths sampled, 346 participated in the survey. The coefficient results indicated that education, gender, and age significantly moderated the relationship between COVID-19 television messages and vaccine adoption behavior among youths, while religion did not have a statistically significant moderating effect. Specifically, education (p = 0.010), gender (p = 0.007), and age (p = 0.004) were significant moderators, whereas religion was not significant (p = 0.350). In addition, the hierarchical regression revealed that perceived response efficacy made a significant contribution to the prediction of vaccine adoption behavior (∆F = 3.48, p = 0.016, ∆R² = 0.024), while self-efficacy also contributed significantly to the model (∆F = 3.53, p = 0.008, ∆R² = 0.010). The overall hierarchical model demonstrated that the inclusion of demographic variables accounted for an additional 5% of the variance in vaccine adoption behavior (∆F = 3.18, p = 0.008), indicating that demographic characteristics enhanced the explanatory power of the model beyond the effects of television messages alone. The findings underscore the importance of demographic factors in shaping how youths interpret health messages and adopt preventive behaviors. The study recommends that health communication practitioners and policymakers tailor pandemic-related messages to specific demographic groups. Integrating demographic considerations into message design can enhance the effectiveness of media platforms in promoting vaccine uptake and fostering positive health behavior change among diverse youth populations.