It’s Going To Take More Than Lollipops

The urgent need for widespread vaccinations against COVID-19 has brought kids’ fear of needles to center stage. Whether a COVID-19 vaccination, flu shot, or scheduled childhood vaccination, needle phobia and vaccine hesitancy can make routine healthcare visits time-consuming, tense, and traumatic. Anyone who has seen a child get a vaccination knows how quickly anxiety can morph into a complete meltdown, making it difficult, if not impossible, to protect the child. Healthcare providers need more than lollipops and colorful bandages to ease fear, improve coping, and increase vaccine compliance.

With the CDC endorsing COVID vaccinations for children as young as six months, programming that can assuage these fears and nudge parents to get their kids into clinics will be essential in ensuring our kids are vaccinated and healthy. Hope for Henry launched its groundbreaking Super Rewards for Vaccinations program to incentivize kids to take all the steps necessary to get the shots they need to stay healthy. Super Rewards helps young patients feel a sense of accomplishment as they work in partnership with medical providers by preparing them with step-by-step explanations of what will happen and rewarding them for navigating vaccination protocols.

Directly addressing needle phobia when kids are young has the power to improve their health over their lifetime. It can lead to long-term vaccine acceptance, enhance the likelihood of receiving preventative health care as they age, and increase the chance of immunizing their children. The ramifications of needle phobia are felt far beyond any individual or family; in 2019, the World Health Organization cited Vaccine Hesitancy as one of its Ten Threats to Global Health[1]. To eradicate vaccine-preventable diseases and protect vulnerable communities while avoiding costly and unnecessary medical interventions, we have a collective responsibility to address the fear of needles and improve levels of vaccination adherence. Thanks to Hope for Henry’s evidence-based approach, tens of thousands of kids nationwide will cope better, adhere to their medical plans, reduce medical risks to themselves and others, and live healthier lives.

[1] World Health Organization, “Ten threats to global health in 2019,” https://tinyurl.com/y64ukmuu