Jackson Presents at Missouri Immunization Coalition

Dr. Shawnna Jackson, Associate Professor of Nursing, presented at the Missouri Immunization Coalition quarterly all-member meeting on Feb 20, 2024. Dr. Jackson presented her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) practice improvement project, “Evaluating the Effectiveness of Text Messaging on Increasing Adolescent Vaccination Rates in a School-Based Setting.”

The study compared district-wide text messaging to school nurse-provided email on increasing vaccination rates among incoming 8th-grade students in two middle schools. At the conclusion of this study, vaccination rates increased in both schools; however, email was significantly more effective in increasing rates when compared to text messaging. Other results revealed that children with a lower socioeconomic status were less likely to be up to date with recommended vaccines.

These findings highlight the valuable role of the school nurse in working with families to promote vaccinations.