Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, USA.
Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, USA.
Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2022 Jan;57:103450. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2021.103450. Epub 2021 Dec 5.
Rural people with Multiple Sclerosis (PwMS) face distinctive challenges in the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to determine the COVID-19 vaccine intent and factors associated with vaccine hesitancy among Appalachian adults with MS.
We conducted a cross sectional phone and in-person survey of PwMS in a large academic center in West Virginia (WV) from February to May 2021. The study sample consists of 306 adult participants.
Among the 306 participants, 104 (33.99%) indicated vaccine hesitancy. Statistically significant factors (p<0.05) associated with vaccine hesitancy compared to those who received or intend to get vaccinated included concerns about vaccine safety, vaccine causing MS relapse, vaccine making MS medication ineffective, vaccine causing other diseases, getting the COVID-19 infection, vaccine fast approval, vaccine ingredients, how well the vaccine works, and its side-effects. Additional factors included prior bad experiences with other vaccines, history of not getting the flu vaccine, and lack of consultation about COVID-19 vaccine with healthcare providers.
Vaccine hesitancy among Appalachian adult PwMS is higher compared to PwMS in the larger United States. Vaccine hesitancy is especially higher among those who are female, younger than 50 years old, and residing in rural areas. Concerns about vaccine safety, perception of infection risks, past vaccine behaviors and consultation with healthcare providers are important factors associated with vaccine intent. Factors influencing vaccine hesitancy in Appalachian PwMS are largely consistent with the general public, however, concerns for interaction between the vaccine and MS are specific to this population and thus could be the focus of further vaccine effort.
多发性硬化症（MS）农村患者在 COVID-19 大流行期间面临独特的挑战。本研究旨在确定阿巴拉契亚地区成年 MS 患者对 COVID-19 疫苗的意向及其与疫苗犹豫相关的因素。
我们于 2021 年 2 月至 5 月在西弗吉尼亚州（WV）的一个大型学术中心对 MS 患者进行了横断面电话和现场调查。研究样本由 306 名成年参与者组成。
在 306 名参与者中，有 104 名（33.99%）表示存在疫苗犹豫。与接种或打算接种疫苗的人相比，疫苗犹豫的统计学显著因素（p<0.05）包括对疫苗安全性的担忧、疫苗引起 MS 复发、疫苗使 MS 药物无效、疫苗引起其他疾病、感染 COVID-19、疫苗快速批准、疫苗成分、疫苗的有效性及其副作用。其他因素包括先前对其他疫苗的不良体验、未接种流感疫苗的历史以及与医疗保健提供者就 COVID-19 疫苗缺乏咨询。
与美国更大范围内的 MS 患者相比，阿巴拉契亚地区成年 MS 患者的疫苗犹豫率更高。女性、50 岁以下、居住在农村地区的人疫苗犹豫率更高。对疫苗安全性的担忧、对感染风险的感知、过去的疫苗行为以及与医疗保健提供者的咨询是与疫苗意向相关的重要因素。影响阿巴拉契亚 MS 患者疫苗犹豫的因素在很大程度上与公众一致，但疫苗与 MS 之间相互作用的担忧是这一人群特有的，因此可能是进一步疫苗工作的重点。
