RIVER-EU – Reducing Inequalities in Vaccine Uptake
Reducing Inequalities in Vaccine Uptake in the European Region – Engaging Underserved Communities (RIVER-EU) was a 5-year (2021-2026) project funded by the Horizon 2020 Research Programme.
The main goal was to collect evidence on health system determinants of high and low vaccine uptake in eight specific contexts. This evidence was used to identify and/or develop interventions to reduce barriers to vaccine uptake in underserved communities and increase trust in the health system.
About
RIVER-EU was coordinated by the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG). Along with EuroHealthNet – which served as the Communication and Dissemination Work Package lead – three EuroHealthNet members/observers were represented in the consortium: THL (Finland), PHE (England) and PROLEPSIS (Greece).
RIVER-EU worked to improve access to measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines, among specific underserved communities in:
- The migrant and refugee community in Greece
- Turkish adolescent females in the Netherlands
- Moroccan adolescent females in the Netherlands
- The Ukrainian migrant community in Poland
- The marginalised Roma community in Slovakia
The project collected evidence on health system determinants of low vaccine uptake (barriers) in the five aforementioned communities, as well as on high vaccine uptake (enablers) in three underserved communities in:
- The Somali Community in Finland
- The Arab community in Israel
- The Bangladeshi community in the United Kingdom
The gathered evidence provided an increased understanding of determinants of low and high vaccine uptake in specific contexts. On the basis of this evidence, RIVER-EU identified and/or developed promising system-level interventions tailored to underserved communities in order to reduce barriers to vaccine uptake. These interventions will be piloted in Greece, the Netherlands, Poland and Slovakia, and the results will be converted into evidence-based guidelines to address equitable access to vaccination across Europe.
Learn more in the video below.
Project outputs
Scientific publications
RIVER-EU produced several scientific publications which advance our knowledge of engaging underserved communities, reducing barriers to vaccination, and enhancing vaccine equity.
SEKI Platform
The RIVER-EU project worked with the SEKI (Strengthening Knowledge and Education on Vaccination) platform.
A living resource that is regularly updated, the platform provides curated training for health professionals in Europe, including a list of suggested training courses on both general and specific vaccination topics (e.g., COVID-19, adolescent immunisation, vaccine safety, pharmacy-based vaccine administration and so on).
SEKI is a joint initiative by the Vaccine Safety Initiative and the European Academy of Paediatrics (members of the RIVER-EU consortium).
Videos
Lessons learned
At the 18th European Public Health Conference in Helsinki, RIVER-EU hosted a workshop showcasing how participatory interventions remove health system barriers and promote vaccine equity.
Key lessons:
- Do your homework, get to know the community. It is imperative to conduct comprehensive preparatory research to deeply understand the target community prior to intervention.
- Listen to the communities, don’t assume you know their needs. Active listening to community perspectives is essential, supplanting any preconceived notions regarding their needs.
- Be flexible. While structured interventions are necessary, flexibility and adaptation based on continuous dialogue and the community’s evolving circumstances are crucial. This ensures that the perspectives of community members and professionals are well-balanced to maximize efficacy.
- Provide practical steps and facts. It is essential to translate complex knowledge into formats that facilitate clear and effective communication. Health promoters with medical knowledge understand both sides.
Slovakia
Focused on marginalised Roma communities, working with the Roma Health Mediators to bridge the gap between families and healthcare providers.
Greece
Worked with highly diverse migrant and refugee populations in settings ranging from multicultural schools to religious centres.
Poland
Addressed Ukrainian migrants and refugees, overcoming a significant lack of trust by employing Ukrainian GPs to deliver vital health information.
The Netherlands
Focused on Turkish and Moroccan adolescents by co-creatively developing training materials with health promoters and medical professionals.
RIVER-EU Final Conference
The RIVER-EU final conference “Making Vaccine Equity Work: Community-led Solutions for a Healthier and More Resilient Europe” showcased the project’s field experience, implementation lessons, a newly launched guideline and action framework, and concluded with a pragmatic conversation about what happens next.
Other EuroHealthNet projects
Visit our project page to read more about projects that EuroHealthNet is involved in.
Related resources
IMMUNION (2023-2023) - increasing vaccine confidence and uptake
