Professor Tom Snelling of The Kids Research Institute Australia
Families throughout the country will trial a new text message vaccination reminder program designed to safeguard kids against infectious diseases thanks to a generous funding boost from the Ramaciotti Foundation.
The Kids Research Institute Australia Professor Tom Snelling was awarded a 2019 Ramaciotti Health Investment Grant in Brisbane last night, receiving $140,000 towards a first-of-its-kind, Australia-wide trial of text message reminders to improve immunisation coverage.
In a partnership between The Kids Research Institute Australia, Curtin University and SmartVax, the trial will assess if sending text messages to parents will help improve the uptake and timeliness of vaccinations given as per the National Immunisation Program, as well as pinpointing the best language to use and the ideal time for sending reminders.
Professor Snelling, based at the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases at The Kids Research Institute Australia, says incomplete and late vaccination remains a big problem in Australia and leaves many children at risk of preventable infections such as whooping cough and measles.
“As many as a quarter of Australian babies aren’t getting vaccinated on time, leaving them at risk of developing life-threatening illnesses such as whooping cough when they are most vulnerable,” said Professor Snelling.
“Our previous research has shown that the vast majority of parents support vaccination, and most children who fall behind in their vaccinations do so because their parents simply forget or become busy with other things.
“Text message reminders appear to be a low cost and easily implementable solution, so this project will allow us to evaluate a range of different messages and timings to discover what will work best.
“The messages will be generated automatically through innovative SmartVax software provided to GP clinics, and we hope the knowledge gained from this study will help establish a reminder program as routine practice in Australia.
“Ensuring all children receive their scheduled vaccinations on time will make a huge difference in keeping kids healthy, happy and out of hospital, so I would like to thank the Ramaciotti Foundation for their vital support,” said Professor Snelling.
The Ramaciotti Foundation have granted over $59 million to biomedical research projects since 1970, making a significant impact on scientific research in Australia and the health and wellbeing of people worldwide.
The AuTOMATIC adaptive trial of messaging to improve immunisation coverage study aims to begin in early 2020. For more information about the study or the research taking place at the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, please visit infectiousdiseases.telethonkids.org.au.