Researcher bios and how their research backgrounds relate to this study
Devon Greyson (they/them) is a qualitative and mixed methodologist with an interdisciplinary background that spans gender studies, information science, and public health. Their research focuses on public health communication and the use of information by public, clinicians, and health systems. They have a special interest in perinatal and pediatric health decision-making and experiences. Current work focuses on vaccine decision-making, use of cannabis during pregnancy and lactation, and mitigating the impacts of medical disinformation.
Co-PI/Co-A Eve Dubé is CIHR Applied Public Health Chair on Vaccine hesitancy and lead of the Social Sciences and Humanities Network of the Canadian Immunization Research
Network, and currently an Adjunct Professor of Anthropology and a senior researcher at the CHU de Québec-Université Laval.
Purpose of this research project
The objective of this project is to assess the successes and shortcomings of the preventive vaccination efforts against mpox in 2022 in order to record them for posterity and research, and to inform future vaccination efforts. This project will evaluate the vaccination campaigns which were targeted towards stigmatized populations in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec, with a special emphasis on underrepresented populations such as people living with HIV, trans people, and sex workers.
How this research will help LGBT2SQ people and communities
This study aims to better understand the effectiveness of mpox vaccination and related information campaigns, especially among the sub-populations most greatly at risk of infection, identified by vaccination campaigns as MSM+ and/or sex workers. Our sampling strategy will aim to include people with a broad spectrum of socio-culture backgrounds in order to better capture nuances in experiences.
In addition, participants may enjoy the opportunity to speak to interviewers about their experiences. They may also enjoy the opportunity to potentially improve the lives of people at greater risk of mpox infection in Canada by contributing to research that may later inform policy at the clinical, programmatic and provincial level.
We have conducted many interviews with BC participants, are currently collecting data in Quebec, and want to be sure to hear from the perspectives of community members in Ontario as well. The goal is to ensure that diverse community perspectives across these provinces will reach the ears of the people making decisions about vaccination efforts in the future.
Participants
Our inclusion criteria are:
1. Identifies as a) MSM+ (inclusive of Two Spirit, trans, cis, genderqueer, intersex and nonbinary individuals who identify as gay, bisexual or pansexual); AND/OR b) as a sex worker of any gender/sex; AND/OR c) staff or volunteers in sex-on-premises venues who were at risk of exposure to mpox, AND/OR d) Is a worker (paid or volunteer) at an organization that participated in the 2022 preventive mpox vaccination campaigns in 2022.
2. Is over 18 years old.
3. Lives in BC, ON, or QC.
4. Is able to communicate in English, or in French.
Compensation
Community member participants will be provided with an honoraria of $50 for coming to the study interview. Funds will be provided via e-transfer, or VISA (electronic or physical) gift card if that is preferred.
Mitigation measures
Due to the content of this study, the potential risks to participants are both social and psychological. This is related to the risk that a participant may become distressed after talking with interviewers about their experiences (e.g., during interviews). These risks will be mitigated by including team members who have extensive interviewing
experience and are sensitive to changes in body language and tone. We have prepared a resource list (attached to 9.7) for BC and Ontario participants, which provides information on support resources participants might find helpful. The resource list will usually be given to participants after the interview ends. It may also be given to a participant during an interview, if it comes up during that time.
This risk will also be mitigated through the offer of participant transcript review, which will give participants the opportunity to ensure that their transcripts do not contain potentially identifying information. Further, questions asked are general in nature with a focus on understanding service provision, pathways through services, and the broader policy landscape and do not require that participants divulge potentially upsetting experiences in order to participate. As some of our questions focus on the use of substances and interviewees may disclose the use of illicit substances, we have included information about services that address substance use.
Further, we have also requested that participants refrain from using real addresses, names or place names associated with their substance use. Each participant’s eligibility will be confirmed before making an appointment for an interview. Study participants will be reminded of their right to refuse to respond to any questions or to withdraw from the study at any time.
Promoting the Study
Do you have thoughts about the Mpox vaccine? Our research study is looking for eligible participants from Ontario to participate in a one-hour interview with researchers from the University of British Columbia, Université Laval and the University of Waterloo about their experiences with the Mpox vaccine.