Vaccination coverage among older adults in France remains below desired levels despite growing evidence that immunization can contribute to healthy ageing through benefits that extend beyond direct infection prevention. The authors applied a social marketing framework to explore which elements of promotion and access might raise vaccination intention and, ultimately, uptake in community-dwelling people aged 60 years and older.
A cross-sectional study was conducted using an anonymous online questionnaire among community-dwelling adults aged ≥60 years in France. Based on self-reported vaccine uptake and stated reasons for non-vaccination, respondents were assigned to one of three behavioural adherence profiles: low, intermediate, or high adherence.
Respondents were presented with seven hypothetical scenarios designed to test aspects of vaccine promotion and access aligned with social marketing principles (the 5P framework). Differences in responses between adherence profiles were assessed using categorical analyses. The abstract reports participant counts, profile proportions, selected attitude measures, and intention responses to specific message and incentive scenarios.
From 3331 respondents to the survey, 2416 participants met inclusion criteria and were analysed. The distribution across the three behavioural adherence profiles was: 15.6% high-adherence, 81.7% intermediate-adherence, and 2.8% low-adherence participants.
Agreement with the statement that vaccination contributes to healthy ageing differed markedly across profiles. Only 3% of participants in the low-adherence profile agreed with that statement, compared with 56% in the intermediate-adherence profile and 78% in the high-adherence profile (p < 0.001).
When presented with message scenarios, those linking vaccination to reductions in risk for cardiovascular events generated the greatest increases in vaccine intention among high-adherence participants. Specifically, messages stating vaccination reduces the risk of stroke and myocardial infarction were associated with 69% and 67% of high-adherence participants, respectively, reporting that they would get vaccinated in response to those messages.
The study evaluated how different thematic messages influenced reported intention to vaccinate, stratified by behavioural adherence profile. Messages that framed vaccination as contributing to broader aspects of healthy ageing, notably through potential reductions in cardiovascular risk and cognitive outcomes (the abstract references cardiovascular and cognitive effects but the final text is truncated), produced the highest stated intention among those already in the high-adherence group. The contrast in baseline beliefs about vaccination’s role in healthy ageing between low-, intermediate-, and high-adherence groups suggests that messaging that explicitly links vaccines to non-infectious health benefits may resonate more with those predisposed to accept vaccination, and may be less persuasive to low-adherence individuals.
Across intermediate- and high-adherence participants, healthcare professionals were reported as the most trusted source of vaccination information, with 93–95% indicating trust. The survey also explored access and incentive strategies: vaccination vouchers were positively received. Among intermediate-adherence participants, 57% indicated they would get vaccinated if offered a voucher; among high-adherence participants, 81% reported they would get vaccinated if offered one.
These findings suggest that combining persuasive messaging with trusted messengers and practical access incentives could influence vaccine intention in older adults, particularly among those already partially receptive to vaccination.
Using a social marketing approach to test message framing, communicator trust, and access incentives, the survey identified several potentially effective elements for promoting vaccination among older adults in France. Key elements associated with higher reported vaccination intention included: framing vaccination as part of healthy ageing, emphasizing potential reductions in cardiovascular risk, using healthcare professionals as primary communicators, and offering tangible access facilitators such as vouchers. These components map onto the social marketing 5P framework by addressing product (perceived benefits), promotion (messaging and messengers), and place/price (access and incentives).
The data reported here are based on an online, cross-sectional, self-reported questionnaire. The analysed sample (2416 of 3331 respondents) was categorised into adherence profiles using self-reported vaccine uptake and reasons for non-vaccination, which may be subject to reporting bias. Intention to vaccinate in response to hypothetical scenarios does not necessarily translate into actual vaccination behaviour. The abstract provides limited methodological detail on questionnaire design, sampling strategy, response rates, the full set of scenario descriptions, and statistical analyses; those details were not reported in the source excerpt.
The survey suggests that messaging linking vaccination to healthy ageing, particularly when highlighting cardiovascular (and referenced cognitive) benefits, paired with trusted healthcare professional communication and access incentives such as vouchers, was associated with higher stated vaccination intention among older adults in France. Quantitative effects were most pronounced among participants in the high-adherence profile.
The source abstract is truncated at the end of the Conclusions section. Specific final wording of the conclusions, additional quantitative results, full methodological parameters, and any post-hoc analyses or recommendations beyond what is summarised above were not reported in the provided source excerpt.