Hosek Meredith G, Chidester Autumn B, Gelfond Jonathan, Taylor Barbara S
University of Texas Health San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229, United States.
Vaccine X. 2022 Apr;10:100154. doi: 10.1016/j.jvacx.2022.100154. Epub 2022 Mar 7.
Although the development of COVID-19 vaccines represents a triumph of modern medicine, studies suggest vaccine hesitancy exists among key populations, including healthcare professionals. In December 2020, a large academic medical center offered COVID-19 vaccination to 3439 students in medicine, nursing, dentistry, and other health professions. With limited vaccine hesitancy research in this population, this study evaluates the prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among healthcare students, including predictors of hesitancy and top concerns with vaccination.
The authors distributed a cross-sectional survey to all healthcare students (n = 3,439) from 12/17/2020 to 12/23/2020. The survey collected age, sex, perceived risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 without vaccination, perceived impact on health if infected with SARS-CoV-2, vaccine hesitancy, and vaccine concerns. In 2021, logistic regressions identified risk factors associated with hesitancy.
The response rate was 30.0% (n = 1030) with median age of 25.0. Of respondents, 19.4% were hesitant to accept COVID-19 vaccination, while 66.6% reported at least one concern with the vaccine. Medical discipline, history of COVID-19 infection, perceived risk of contracting COVID-19, and perceived severity of illness if infected were predictor variables of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (p < 0.05). Age, sex, and exposure to in-person clinical care were not predictive of vaccine hesitancy.
Fewer students reported COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy than expected from surveys on the general public and on healthcare workers. Continued research is needed to evaluate shifting attitudes around COVID-19 vaccination among healthcare professionals and students. With COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy a growing concern in young adults, a survey of this size and breadth will be helpful to other academic medical centers interested in vaccinating their students and to persons interested in leveraging predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy for targeted intervention.
尽管新冠病毒疫苗的研发是现代医学的一项重大成就，但研究表明，包括医护人员在内的关键人群中存在疫苗犹豫现象。2020年12月，一家大型学术医疗中心为3439名医学、护理、牙科及其他卫生专业的学生提供了新冠病毒疫苗接种服务。鉴于针对这一人群的疫苗犹豫研究有限，本研究评估了医护专业学生中新冠病毒疫苗犹豫的发生率，包括犹豫的预测因素以及对疫苗接种的主要担忧。
作者于2020年12月17日至20日对所有医护专业学生（n = 3439）进行了横断面调查。该调查收集了年龄、性别、未接种疫苗时感染严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）的感知风险、感染SARS-CoV-2对健康的感知影响、疫苗犹豫情况以及对疫苗的担忧。2021年，通过逻辑回归确定了与犹豫相关的风险因素。
回复率为30.0%（n = 1030），中位年龄为25.0岁。在受访者中，19.4%对接受新冠病毒疫苗接种犹豫不决，而66.6%表示至少对疫苗存在一项担忧。医学专业、新冠病毒感染史、感染新冠病毒的感知风险以及感染后疾病的感知严重程度是新冠病毒疫苗犹豫的预测变量（p < 0.05）。年龄、性别和亲身临床护理经历不是疫苗犹豫的预测因素。
报告新冠病毒疫苗犹豫的学生人数少于针对普通公众和医护人员的调查预期。需要持续开展研究，以评估医护专业人员和学生对新冠病毒疫苗接种态度的变化。鉴于新冠病毒疫苗犹豫在年轻人中日益受到关注，这样规模和广度的调查将有助于其他有意为学生接种疫苗的学术医疗中心，以及有意利用新冠病毒疫苗犹豫预测因素进行针对性干预的人士。
