Abstract: In the U.S. and elsewhere, low influenza vaccination rates among healthcare workers (HCWs) represent an important public health challenge.  Although health officials have worked to understand facilitators and barriers to uptake and implement persuasive communication campaigns, little is known about how and why providers search for and attend to information about this issue, how these communication behaviors influence vaccine-related beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors, and how officials can develop better risk communication strategies based on these insights.  To shed more light on these areas, this research applies concepts from a model of risk information seeking and processing (RISP) to explore how HCWs at a major urban hospital seek and engage with vaccine information.  Concepts include need for information, social pressure to remain informed, beliefs about information channels, personal capacity to learn, intention to seek information, and seeking attitudes.  It also explores the role of source credibility and perceived information relevance as model extensions.  Theoretical and practical implications of this research – in terms of applying the RISP model to a previously-unexplored health behavior and suggesting strategies for more effective vaccine-related communication - are discussed.

** This research was recently presented at (1) the 2007 Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) Annual Meeting (December 2007) and (2) the 136th American Public Health Association Meeting & Exposition (October 2008). **

** Current status: Preparing a journal manuscript**