COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy: The Role of Information Sources and Beliefs in Dutch Adults

Nurses' attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines: A qualitative study (PROACTIVE-study)

AIM

To explore the attitudes of healthcare workers towards COVID-19 vaccines.

DESIGN

A qualitative descriptive design was used.

METHODS

Five focus groups were conducted between October and November 2021, with a total of 30 nurses from different contexts in Northern Italy. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the transcripts.

RESULTS

Three main themes were identified: 'favourable', 'unsure' and 'contrary to' COVID-19 vaccines. The favourable position was underpinned by trust in science, research and vaccination; protection for themselves, their families, patients and the population; duty as professionals; necessity to set an example for others. Participants who were unsure had doubts about the composition, safety and efficacy of the vaccine and were sometimes afraid that media provided incomplete information. The main reason why nurses were against was the feeling that being forced to vaccinate perceived as blackmail. Favourable or unsure nurses struggled to deal with those who were against and developed a series of emotions that ranged from respect and attempt to rationalize, to frustration and defeat.

CONCLUSIONS

Identifying the areas of hesitation is essential to understand what affects the choices of acceptance, delay or refusal of vaccination. The issues that emerged regarding proper communication within the vaccination campaign highlights the key importance of adequate vaccination strategies.

IMPLICATION FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE

Understanding attitudes towards vaccine and related motivations among healthcare workers could help develop more specific and targeted vaccination campaigns that can ensure proper vaccination coverage rates and avoid hesitancy or refusal.

IMPACT

Healthcare workers experiences of COVID-19 vaccines, their views and know how they feel during COVID-19 vaccinations. Healthcare workers had three different positions in COVID-19 vaccination. This research will guide and target future vaccination campaigns.

REPORTING METHOD

The study is reported using the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR).

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

No Patient or Public Contribution.

COVID-19 vaccine perspectives and uptake among university students three years into the pandemic

BACKGROUND

University students have been uniquely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic for the past three years (2020-2023). Understanding their COVID-19 perspectives, beliefs, and vaccine uptake may help to improve future vaccine initiatives and education.

METHODS

A cross sectional, confidential, online survey was conducted at four universities in Pennsylvania in spring 2023 to assess undergraduate, graduate, and professional students' perspectives regarding their knowledge of COVID-19 vaccines, importance of COVID-19 vaccines and mandates, number of doses of COVID-19 vaccine received including the recent BA.4/BA.5 bivalent booster, where they were vaccinated, receipt of influenza vaccine, and sources of information used to make decisions about COVID-19 vaccine.

RESULTS

Vaccination for COVID-19 was considered important by 75 % of 2223 students surveyed; 68 % agreed with mandating COVID-19 vaccine. Over 89 % were fully COVID-19 vaccinated (≥2 doses), 65 % were up-to-date (≥3 doses), but only 35 % had received the BA.4/BA.5 booster. Students who considered COVID-19 vaccine important were generally older, female, and non-business majors. Higher rates of up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination were found in those who received influenza vaccine in 2022-2023, females, Asians, doctoral or professional students, those attending larger universities, non-US residents, and those interested in learning more about COVID-19 vaccines. Most trusted sources of information on COVID-19 vaccines were the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, healthcare providers, and parents; the least trusted sources were social media, television, and the internet.

CONCLUSIONS

The majority of university students agreed that COVID-19 vaccination is important and supported COVID-19 mandates. While the rate of fully vaccinated and up-to-date students was similar to the US adult population, the latter rate needs improvement. Receipt of the BA.4/BA.5 booster was particularly low. Further education is needed to improve vaccine knowledge, especially as we move to periodic boosters. Business majors, males, and younger students may benefit from increased on-campus vaccine education initiatives.

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy among Unvaccinated Adults: A Cross-Sectional Exploratory Analysis of Vaccination Intentions in Italy Related to Fear of Infection

From the initial COVID-19 outbreak, Italy was the first Western country to be seriously affected by the pandemic. Understanding vaccine hesitancy can help efforts to achieve broad vaccination coverage. The objectives of this research were to determine the extent of vaccine hesitancy in Italy and to understand the characteristics of those segments of the population with some hesitancy. Between January and February 2021, 41,473 subjects answered the second questionnaire delivered in phase II of the web-based EPICOVID19 survey. Among the included adult volunteers living in Italy, 4653 (11.2%) reported having previously received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. In the sample of 36,820 respondents, all not vaccinated (age 51.1 ± 13.5; 59.7% female; 63.6% high level of education), the comparison between hesitant and inclined participants was accompanied by percentages and odds ratios. A total of 2449 individuals were hesitant (6.7% of the unvaccinated ones). Hesitancy was higher among women (OR = 1.48; 95%CI: 1.36-1.62); it was highest in the 50-59 and 40-49 age groups and among those with a lower educational level. A higher level of education was associated with a lower proportion of hesitancy (5.54%) compared with 9.44% among respondents with a low level of education (OR = 0.56; 95%CI: 0.46-0.68). Hesitancy was most common in subjects who did not report fear of infection (12.4%, OR = 4.0; 95%CI: 3.46-4.61). The results can guide the design of tailored information and communication campaigns through considering objective and subjective characteristics.

Are Saudi Healthcare Workers Willing to Receive the Monkeypox Virus Vaccine? Evidence from a Descriptive-Baseline Survey

Since Saudi Arabia has already confirmed multiple monkeypox (Mpox) cases, it is essential to initiate timely preventive measures, including the implementation of vaccines. In this cross-sectional study, an online survey was conducted among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Saudi Arabia to understand their willingness to receive the Mpox vaccine. A structured questionnaire was used to gather the data. The study comprised 734 samples. Our study found that among study participants, 52.7% were willing to receive the Mpox vaccine and showed that sociodemographic factors were not significantly associated with vaccine willingness. Previous vaccination history (such as influenza and COVID-19) was significantly associated with Mpox vaccine willingness. The respondents reported that the main reasons for receiving the Mpox vaccine were their trust in the Saudi Health Ministry (57.7%) and their understanding that the vaccine was a social responsibility (44.6%). Furthermore, the majority of the respondents (74.7%) reported that they were motivated by the need to protect themselves, their family and their friends. Insufficient vaccine information and fear of unknown adverse reactions were the most reported reasons for an unwillingness to receive the Mpox vaccine. In conclusion, increasing Mpox vaccine-related awareness and focusing on greater information dissemination to reduce fear and increase vaccine uptake is highly recommended.

Determinants of COVID-19 vaccine Hesitancy: 2020 California Health Interview Survey

Although the COVID-19 vaccine is a key intervention against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine hesitancy is a barrier to vaccination coverage, leading to a higher risk of COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality. To reduce vaccine hesitancy, the factors affecting it must be addressed. Based on the determinants of health approach, this study aimed to investigate whether the distribution of determinants of health differed between the vaccine hesitancy group and the vaccine acceptance group and to identify determinants of participants' hesitancy to receive the COVID-19 vaccine if it was available. This study utilized the 2020 California Health Interview Survey Data collected between May and December 2020. Data were collected using a population-based web and telephone health survey. Data from 21,949 participants in California were included, and 4,183 (23.4 %) showed vaccine hesitancy. The following determinants were positively associated with vaccine hesitancy: female sex, Black and American Indian/Alaskan Native ethnicity, smoking, poverty, U.S.-born citizen, frequent use of social media, food insecurity, and limited healthcare access. Older age, not having severe psychological distress, not having diabetes, and high perceived safety in the neighborhood were negatively associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. This study also found that higher use of social media potentially threatened vaccine uptake, whereas frequent internet use was negatively associated with vaccine hesitancy. Public health and other relevant service providers should address the determinants of vaccine hesitancy and develop effective strategies and interventions for vaccine-hesitant groups.

Levels and Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccination at a Later Phase among Chinese Older People Aged 60 Years or Older: A Population-Based Survey

The early attainment of high COVID-19 vaccination rates can minimize avoidable hospitalizations/deaths. The fifth wave COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong caused >9000 deaths, and most of them were unvaccinated older people. This study hence investigated determinants of taking the first dose vaccination at a later phase (Phase 3: during the fifth wave outbreak, i.e., February-July 2022) versus two earlier phases (Phase 1: first six months since vaccine rollout, i.e., February-July 2021; Phase 2: six months prior to the outbreak, i.e., August 2021-January 2022) via a random telephone survey among 386 ever-vaccinated Hong Kong older people aged ≥60 (June/July 2022). A total of 27.7%, 51.1%, and 21.3% took the first dose at Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3, respectively. Unfavorable perceptions related to COVID-19/vaccination, exposure to conflicting/counter-information about the suitability of older people's vaccination from various sources, unsupportive family influences prior to the outbreak, and depressive symptoms were significantly associated with taking the first dose at Phase 3 instead of Phase 1 and Phase 2. To speed up COVID-19 vaccination and avoid unnecessary deaths, the government and health professionals should rectify misinformation, provide clear/consistent information for older people and their family members, and focus on those having depressive symptoms at an earlier stage of the pandemic.

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Spain and associated factors

Introduction

The present study explores the reasons of those who have not been vaccinated in the later stage of the vaccine rollout in Spain and its associated determinants.

Methods

Cluster and logistic regression analyses were used to assess differences in claimed reasons for vaccine hesitancy in Spain using two samples of unvaccinated people (18–40 years old) gathered by an online cross-sectional survey from social networks (n = 910) and from a representative panel (n = 963) in October-November 2021.

Results

The main reasons for not being vaccinated were believing that the COVID-19 vaccines had been developed too fast, they were experimental, and they were not safe, endorsed by 68.7% participants in the social network sample and 55.4% in the panel sample. The cluster analysis classified the participants into two groups. Logistic regression showed that Cluster 2 (individuals who reported structural constraints and health-related reasons such as pregnancy or medical recommendation) presented a lower trust in information from health professionals, had a lower willingness to get vaccinated in the future, and avoided less social/family events than those in Cluster 1 (reasons centered in distrust on COVID-19 vaccines, conspiracy thoughts and complacency).

Conclusions

It is important to promote information campaigns that provide reliable information and fight fake news and myths. Future vaccination intention differs in both clusters, so these results are important for developing strategies target to increase vaccination uptake for those who do not reject the COVID-19 vaccine completely.

COVID-19 vaccination challenges: from fake news to vaccine hesitancy

Abstract This article aims to synthesize articles addressing fake news and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the context of public health. We conducted an integrative review of articles published in any language between 2019 and 2022 in journals indexed in the following databases: Latin American and the Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase. A critical analysis was performed, guided by the research question and objective of the review. Eleven articles were selected, the overwhelming majority of which were cross-sectional studies. The main factors related to vaccine take-up highlighted by the studies were gender, age, education level, political leanings, religion, trust in health authorities, and perceptions of side-effects and vaccine efficacy. The main obstacles to attaining optimal vaccination coverage were vaccine hesitancy and disinformation. All studies addressed the relationship between low vaccination intention and the use of social media as a source of information about SARS-CoV-2. It is necessary to build public trust in vaccine safety and efficacy. Promoting a better understanding of the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination is essential to combat vaccine hesitancy and improve vaccine take-up.

COVID-19 vaccination challenges: from fake news to vaccine hesitancy

This article aims to synthesize articles addressing fake news and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the context of public health. We conducted an integrative review of articles published in any language between 2019 and 2022 in journals indexed in the following databases: Latin American and the Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase. A critical analysis was performed, guided by the research question and objective of the review. Eleven articles were selected, the overwhelming majority of which were cross-sectional studies. The main factors related to vaccine take-up highlighted by the studies were gender, age, education level, political leanings, religion, trust in health authorities, and perceptions of side-effects and vaccine efficacy. The main obstacles to attaining optimal vaccination coverage were vaccine hesitancy and disinformation. All studies addressed the relationship between low vaccination intention and the use of social media as a source of information about SARS-CoV-2. It is necessary to build public trust in vaccine safety and efficacy. Promoting a better understanding of the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination is essential to combat vaccine hesitancy and improve vaccine take-up.

Health information behavior and related factors among Estonians aged ≥ 50 years during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose

The purpose of the article is to introduce the outcomes of a study analyzing the relationships between willingness to use technology for health purposes, health information behavior (HIB), health behavior (HB) choices, readiness for COVID-19 vaccination, socioeconomic indicators and self-reported health among older adults aged = 50 years living in Estonia.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 501 people aged = 50 in Estonia in 2020, a month after the end of lockdown.

Findings

The results of the study indicate that the more recurrent the need for HI was (rho = 0.11, p < 0.05) and the more regularly one searched for it (rho = 0.14, p < 0.01), the more willing a person was to get vaccinated. Also, interest in digital applications corresponded to vaccination readiness (rho = 0.25, p < 0.001). However, this relationship did not emerge in the case of other HBs such as healthy eating and exercise. Differences in HIB should be taken into account when developing effective means of health communication designed especially for crisis situations.

Originality/value

Estonia is known as one of the digital front runners in the world. However, social welfare and the well-being of disadvantaged groups among the population (e.g. older people) have not yet caught up with the more developed Western countries. Thus, learning more about the health-related information behavior of older adults, e.g. the kind of health information they are seeking and using in Estonia, allows policymakers, health information providers and libraries in Estonia to plan and carry out more effective interventions and help them to improve the existing systems so as to furnish older adults with relevant information.

ChatGPT Output Regarding Compulsory Vaccination and COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy: A Descriptive Study at the Outset of a Paradigm Shift in Online Search for Information

BACKGROUND

Being on the verge of a revolutionary approach to gathering information, ChatGPT (an artificial intelligence (AI)-based language model developed by OpenAI, and capable of producing human-like text) could be the prime motive of a paradigm shift on how humans will acquire information. Despite the concerns related to the use of such a promising tool in relation to the future of the quality of education, this technology will soon be incorporated into web search engines mandating the need to evaluate the output of such a tool. Previous studies showed that dependence on some sources of online information (e.g., social media platforms) was associated with higher rates of vaccination hesitancy. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to describe the output of ChatGPT regarding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine conspiracy beliefs. and compulsory vaccination.

METHODS

The current descriptive study was conducted on January 14, 2023 using the ChatGPT from OpenAI (OpenAI, L.L.C., San Francisco, CA, USA). The output was evaluated by two authors and the degree of agreement regarding the correctness, clarity, conciseness, and bias was evaluated using Cohen's kappa.

RESULTS

The ChatGPT responses were dismissive of conspiratorial ideas about severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) origins labeling it as non-credible and lacking scientific evidence. Additionally, ChatGPT responses were totally against COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy statements. Regarding compulsory vaccination, ChatGPT responses were neutral citing the following as advantages of this strategy: protecting public health, maintaining herd immunity, reducing the spread of disease, cost-effectiveness, and legal obligation, and on the other hand, it cited the following as disadvantages of compulsory vaccination: ethical and legal concerns, mistrust and resistance, logistical challenges, and limited resources and knowledge.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study showed that ChatGPT could be a source of information to challenge COVID-19 vaccine conspiracies. For compulsory vaccination, ChatGPT resonated with the divided opinion in the scientific community toward such a strategy; nevertheless, it detailed the pros and cons of this approach. As it currently stands, the judicious use of ChatGPT could be utilized as a user-friendly source of COVID-19 vaccine information that could challenge conspiracy ideas with clear, concise, and non-biased content. However, ChatGPT content cannot be used as an alternative to the original reliable sources of vaccine information (e.g., the World Health Organization [WHO] and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]).

How health beliefs and sense of control predict adherence to COVID-19 prevention guidelines among young adults in South Korea

This study defined adherence to COVID-19 prevention guidelines as health behavior and examined whether the two constructs of the health belief model (i.e., perceived susceptibility and perceived severity) and sense of control predict the level of adherence among young adults in South Korea. An online survey (N = 200) conducted in June 2021, showed that perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, and sense of control positively predict adherence behavior. Sense of control significantly moderated the relationship between perceived susceptibility and adherence even after controlling for depression and perceived health status. Specifically, individuals with a lower level of perceived susceptibility still adhered to COVID-19 prevention guidelines if they had a higher level of sense of control. The finding demonstrates the key role of sense of control in promoting adherence to COVID-19 prevention guidelines and the relationship between sense of control and two constructs of the health belief model. Implication for public messaging targeted at young adults during pandemic situations is also discussed.

A Descriptive Analysis of the Relationship between Social Media Use and Vaccine Hesitancy among a Sample of Unvaccinated Adults in Canada

Both traditional and social media information sources have disseminated information on the COVID-19 pandemic. The content shared may influence public opinion on different mitigation strategies, including vaccination. Misinformation can alter risk perception and increase vaccine hesitancy. This study aimed to explore the impact of using social media as the primary information source about the COVID-19 vaccine on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among people living in Canada. Secondary objectives identified other predictors of vaccine hesitancy and distinguished the effects of using traditional and social media sources. We used quota sampling of adults in Canada [N = 985] to conduct an online survey on the Pollfish survey platform between 21st and 28th May 2021. We then used bivariate chi-squared tests and multivariable logistic regression modeling to explore the associations between using social media as one's primary source of information about the COVID-19 vaccine and vaccine hesitancy. We further analyzed the association between specific types of channels of information and vaccine hesitancy. After controlling for covariates such as age, sex, race, and ethnicity, individuals reporting social media as their primary source of COVID-19 vaccine information versus those who had not used social media as their primary source of COVID-19 vaccine information had 50% higher odds of vaccine hesitancy. Among different channels of information, we found that information from television was associated with a 40% lower odds ratio for vaccine hesitancy. Since social media platforms play an essential role in influencing hesitancy in taking the COVID-19 vaccination, it is necessary to improve the quality of social media information sources and raise people's trust in information. Meanwhile, traditional media channels, such as television, are still crucial for promoting vaccination programs.

COVID-19 vaccination motivation and underlying believing processes: A comparison study between individuals with affective disorder and healthy controls

Background

Believing processes represent fundamental brain functions between cognition and emotion. Shortly before the introduction of a compulsory vaccination against COVID-19 in Austria, motives and underlying believing processes regarding the vaccination were collected in individuals with affective disorder (AD) and healthy controls (HC).

Methods

79 individuals with AD and 173 HC were surveyed online to assess believing processes with the parameters of the credition model (narratives, certainty, emotion, mightiness) about (1) the coronavirus itself and (2) why someone is vaccinated or not. In addition, we calculated congruence scores between content of narrative and type of emotion and divided the narrative content into positive, negative, and indifferent.

Results

There were no differences in vaccination status between AD and HC. Higher levels of certainty were observed in HC compared to AD in both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. The effects were higher when asked about the motivation to vaccinate or not than about the coronavirus itself. In HC, more positive emotions and more congruence between emotions and narratives were reported during believing in their vaccination motives. No group differences were found in mightiness for both items. Independently from diagnosis, unvaccinated people had high levels of certainty and more negative emotions and narratives while believing in their motives for not getting vaccinated.

Conclusion

When believing about the COVID-19 vaccination, individuals with AD were more uncertain and experienced fewer positive emotions than HC, although both groups did not differ in vaccination status. These effects were not that strong when believing about the coronavirus in general.

Willingness to get vaccinated with the first-generation vaccines against SARS-CoV-2

OBJECTIVE

To explore people's decision-making regarding whether or not to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

METHODS

A purposive sample of people over the age of 18 who had not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19 was studied. Data were gathered using semi-structured interviews in focus groups and personal in-depth interviews. All interviews were conducted on the Zoom^® platform and were recorded for subsequent verbatim transcription. Using a grounded theory approach, both open and axial coding of the narrative data were performed.

RESULTS

Information saturation was reached after eight focus group meetings and 14 in-depth interviews (n = 55). Six principal themes emerged, with the fear of possible adverse side-effects and the worries generated by the speed of the development and commercialization of the vaccine amongst the main expressed anxieties. Social pressure to get vaccinated was a recurrent subject, as was the desire for clear and understandable information from reliable sources.

CONCLUSIONS

The willingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19 is determined by a complex series of interconnected factors that define an explanatory model, which has evolved concurrently with the development of the vaccines and the progress of the vaccination campaigns. This model will be useful for deciding social scenarios aimed at tackling this or future pandemics and for designing formulas that will increase the initial acceptance of these vaccines.