Wong, Celia Ching YeeCelia Ching YeeWongLi, Liman Man WaiLiman Man WaiLiDr. LEE Ka Lai, DanielleDanielleDr. LEE Ka LaiLorez, Whitney PetitWhitney PetitLorezLo, Helen Yuet ManHelen Yuet ManLo2026-01-162026-01-162025International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 2025, vol. 32, pp. 586-596.1070-55031532-7558http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11861/26454Background Social media is one of the major platforms for disseminating essential health messages. The present study examined the effect of message framing (self-interest motive, prosocial motive) on an online platform for parental intention to vaccinate against COVID-19. It also examined how the effect may vary across participants’ levels of parental identity centrality/salience and community orientation before the vaccine was officially available. <br> Methods Six hundred and sixty-three Hong Kong Chinese parents were recruited, and a total of 278 valid responses were retained in the analyses. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the three conditions: self-interest motive, prosocial motive, and control. Participants in the self-interest motive condition and the prosocial motive condition read a condition-specific message about the COVID-19 vaccine. Then, they reported their levels of intention to vaccinate against COVID-19, including parent-vaccination, child-vaccination, and medical information-seeking.<br> Results A significant group effect on child-vaccination was found. Participants in the self-interest motive condition reported a higher intention to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 compared with the other two conditions. Results of moderation analyses indicated that communal orientation moderated the effect of a self-interest-motive-emphasized message on parental intention to vaccinate against COVID-19. The effect of a self-interest-motive-emphasized message appeared to be stronger on parent-vaccination, child-vaccination, and medical information-seeking among parents who reported lower levels of communal orientation.<br> Conclusion These findings provided some initial evidence of the effectiveness of message-framing in promoting parents’ intention to vaccinate their children on online platforms.enMessage-FramingChildren VaccinationCommunal OrientationParental IdentityCOVID-19Peer Reviewed Journal Article10.1007/s12529-024-10313-2