Lay summary
Current health promotion focuses on reassuring families that vaccines are “safe and effective,” a framing that works when trust is high. In the current climate of misinformation and declining vaccine confidence, many parents now see vaccines as risky. The stronger message is that the real danger lies in the diseases vaccines prevent. This project will develop and test a tailored communication tool that shifts the focus to disease reduction. Using the validated Vaccine Barriers and Assessment Tool, we will identify whether a parent is hesitant or accepting and provide short, targeted messages and videos. Messages will use loss framing, emphasising what children stand to lose if unvaccinated. The tool will be co-created with Māori and Pacific communities and tested in a large trial. It has the potential to rebuild vaccine confidence and improve uptake, offering value for money by reducing vaccine-preventable illness and the downstream costs of treatment and outbreaks.