Addressing Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy through Community Engagement: A Descriptive Evaluation of the VaxUpPhillyFamilies program.

Publication date: Jul 01, 2026

The purpose of this study was to evaluate VaxUpPhillyFamilies (VaxUp), a program to engage parents and caregivers as trusted health messengers to address pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Philadelphia, PA. Twenty-four parents and caregivers (ambassadors) were engaged in the VaxUp program. Ambassadors attended and evaluated mandatory training sessions on Vaccine Information Champions and social determinants of health. Each week, reports were submitted to describe the types of engagement activities. At the end of the program, ambassadors completed surveys to evaluate the effectiveness of VaxUp. Data on the training sessions, types of engagement, engagement trends, and ambassadors’ perceived knowledge, confidence and growth as trusted messengers were analyzed through a descriptive evaluation. Ambassadors reported that the training sessions were useful and engaging. Conversations with the community and written information distribution were the most common forms of weekly engagement. At the completion of VaxUp, ambassadors agreed that the program resulted in greater self-confidence (M=4. 36, SD=1. 08) and that they were viewed as more of a trusted messenger by their communities (M=4. 07, SD=1. 07). Team support and training sessions were cited as major contributors to the growth of VaxUp ambassadors. The VaxUp program increased ambassadors’ self-reported confidence and perceived role as trusted messengers. The VaxUpPhillyFamiles program effectively engaged and trained community members as health ambassadors, who have attained the skills to continue as community advocates. The lessons learned from VaxUp extend beyond vaccine hesitancy. Engaging community members as trusted health messengers is relevant for pediatric nurses, regardless of practice setting.

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