Corowa-kun: A messenger app chatbot delivers COVID-19 vaccine information, Japan 2021

Takaaki Kobayashi; Yuka Nishina; Hana Tomoi; Ko Harada; Kyuto Tanaka; Eiyu Matsumoto; Kenta Horimukai; Jun Ishihara; Shugo Sasaki; Kanako Inaba; Kyosuke Seguchi; Hiromizu Takahashi; Jorge L Salinas; Yuji Yamada

doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.06.007

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Corowa-kun: A messenger app chatbot delivers COVID-19 vaccine information, Japan 2021

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Corowa-kun: A messenger app chatbot delivers COVID-19 vaccine information, Japan 2021

Takaaki Kobayashi, Yuka Nishina, Hana Tomoi, Ko Harada, Kyuto Tanaka, Eiyu Matsumoto, Kenta Horimukai, Jun Ishihara, Shugo Sasaki, Kanako Inaba, …

Vaccine, Vol.40(32), pp.4654-4662

07/30/2022

DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.06.007

PMCID: PMC9174339

PMID: 35750541

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Abstract

There is a long history in Japan of public concerns about vaccine adverse events. Few studies have assessed how mobile messenger apps affect COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Corowa-kun, a free chatbot, was created on February 6, 2021 in LINE, the most popular messenger app in Japan. Corowa-kun provides instant, automated answers to 70 frequently asked COVID-19 vaccine questions. A cross-sectional survey with 21 questions was performed within Corowa-kun during April 5-12, 2021. A total of 59,676 persons used Corowa-kun during February-April 2021. Of them, 10,192 users (17%) participated in the survey. Median age was 55 years (range 16-97), and most were female (74%). COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy reported by survey respondents decreased from 41% to 20% after using Corowa-kun. Of the 20% who remained hesitant, 16% (1,675) were unsure, and 4% (364) did not intend to be vaccinated. Factors associated with vaccine hesitancy were: age 16-34 (odds ratio [OR] = 3.7; 95% confidential interval [CI]: 3.0-4.6, compared to age ≥ 65), female sex (OR = 2.4; Cl: 2.1-2.8), and history of a previous vaccine side-effect (OR = 2.5; Cl: 2.2-2.9). Being a physician (OR = 0.2; Cl: 0.1-0.4) and having received a flu vaccine the prior season (OR = 0.4; Cl: 0.3-0.4) were protective. A substantial number of people used the chabot in a short period. Mobile messenger apps could be leveraged to provide accurate vaccine information and to investigate vaccine intention and risk factors for vaccine hesitancy.

Adolescent

Adult

Aged

Aged, 80 and over

COVID-19 - prevention & control

COVID-19 Vaccines

Cross-Sectional Studies

Female

Humans

Japan

Male

Middle Aged

Mobile Applications

Parents

Patient Acceptance of Health Care

Vaccination

Young Adult

Details

Title: Subtitle: Corowa-kun: A messenger app chatbot delivers COVID-19 vaccine information, Japan 2021
Creators: Takaaki Kobayashi - University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Yuka Nishina - Juntendo University
Hana Tomoi - University of London
Ko Harada - Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Kyuto Tanaka - Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nippon Koukan Hospital, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.
Eiyu Matsumoto - University of Iowa
Kenta Horimukai - Katsushika Medical Center
Jun Ishihara - Imperial College London
Shugo Sasaki - Saitama Medical University Hospital
Kanako Inaba - Kanto Central Hospital
Kyosuke Seguchi - Kameda Medical Center
Hiromizu Takahashi - Juntendo University
Jorge L Salinas - University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Yuji Yamada - Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Vaccine, Vol.40(32), pp.4654-4662
DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.06.007
PMID: 35750541
PMCID: PMC9174339
NLM abbreviation: Vaccine
ISSN: 0264-410X
eISSN: 1873-2518
Language: English
Date published: 07/30/2022
Academic Unit: Infectious Diseases; Internal Medicine
Record Identifier: 9984359672002771

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