Yadete Tesfaye, Batra Kavita, Netski Dale M, Antonio Sabrina, Patros Michael J, Bester Johan C
Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89102, USA.
Office of Research, Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89102, USA.
Vaccines (Basel). 2021 Dec 2;9(12):1424. doi: 10.3390/vaccines9121424.
Given the emergence of breakthrough infections, new variants, and concerns of waning immunity from the primary COVID-19 vaccines, booster shots emerged as a viable option to shore-up protection against COVID-19. Following the recent authorization of vaccine boosters among vulnerable Americans, this study aims to assess COVID-19 vaccine booster hesitancy and its associated factors in a nationally representative sample. A web-based 48-item psychometric valid survey was used to measure vaccine literacy, vaccine confidence, trust, and general attitudes towards vaccines. Data were analyzed through Chi-square (with a post hoc contingency table analysis) and independent-sample -/Welch tests. Among 2138 participants, nearly 62% intended to take booster doses and the remaining were COVID-19 vaccine booster hesitant. The vaccine-booster-hesitant group was more likely to be unvaccinated (62.6% vs. 12.9%) and did not intend to have their children vaccinated (86.1% vs. 27.5%) compared to their non-hesitant counterparts. A significantly higher proportion of booster dose hesitant individuals had very little to no trust in the COVID-19 vaccine information given by public health/government agencies (55% vs. 12%) compared to non-hesitant ones. The mean scores of vaccine confidence index and vaccine literacy were lower among the hesitant group compared to the non-hesitant group. Compared to the non-hesitant group, vaccine hesitant participants were single or never married (41.8% vs. 28.7%), less educated, and living in a southern region of the nation (40.9% vs. 33.3%). These findings underscore the need of developing effective communication strategies emphasizing vaccine science in ways that are accessible to individuals with lower levels of education and vaccine literacy to increase vaccination uptake.
鉴于突破性感染的出现、新变种的出现以及对新冠病毒原始疫苗免疫力下降的担忧，加强针成为增强对新冠病毒防护的可行选择。在近期美国弱势群体中批准使用疫苗加强针之后，本研究旨在评估全国代表性样本中对新冠病毒疫苗加强针的犹豫态度及其相关因素。一项基于网络的具有48个条目的心理测量有效的调查被用于衡量疫苗知识、疫苗信心、信任以及对疫苗的总体态度。数据通过卡方检验（并进行事后列联表分析）和独立样本t检验/韦尔奇检验进行分析。在2138名参与者中，近62%打算接种加强针，其余人对新冠病毒疫苗加强针持犹豫态度。与不犹豫的人群相比，对疫苗加强针持犹豫态度的人群更有可能未接种疫苗（62.6%对12.9%），并且不打算让他们的孩子接种疫苗（86.1%对27.5%）。与不犹豫的人相比，对加强针犹豫不决的个体中，对公共卫生/政府机构提供的新冠病毒疫苗信息几乎没有信任或完全不信任的比例显著更高（55%对12%）。犹豫组的疫苗信心指数和疫苗知识的平均得分低于不犹豫组。与不犹豫组相比，对疫苗持犹豫态度的参与者单身或从未结婚（41.8%对28.7%），受教育程度较低，并且居住在美国南部地区（40.9%对33.3%）。这些发现强调了制定有效沟通策略的必要性，以易于教育程度和疫苗知识水平较低的个体理解的方式强调疫苗科学，从而提高疫苗接种率。
