First 5 for Kids! Immunizations

San Diego, CA, 2004

A complete series of childhood immunizations has been proven to be one of the most effective medical strategies to reduce disease and improve health. Vaccines protect individuals and the community, and save millions of dollars each year in medical costs. According to the National Immunization Program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those who do not get all of their shots are children that often are uninsured or not fully covered for childhood immunizations.

KPBS-TV/FM, in order to have the greatest impact, partnered with KGTV, First 5 Commission of San Diego County and the Council of Community Clinics to educate the community about the importance of infant immunization. The overall goal for this project was to increase the number of infants and toddlers with up-to-date immunizations among non-English speaking populations of Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islanders, as well as the African American community.

The First 5 for Kids! website highlighted this comprehensive campaign including on-air educational messages, which aired on television (KPBS TV and KGTV, the local ABC affiliate) and radio (KPBS FM and local Latino stations KLNV and KLQV). TV news segments highlighted the immunization theme on a monthly basis on KGTV, and KPBS created half-hour news features on behalf of the project. These news stories and on-air educational messages were translated into Spanish, Vietnamese and Somali, and packaged on VHS for wide distribution throughout San Diego.

Community engagement events were held at the Community Health Clinics located among the target populations, with bilingual training on immunization.