Psychiatry Department, Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar.
Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, Qatar.
Medicine (Baltimore). 2022 Jul 1;101(26):e29741. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000029741.
Older individuals are more vulnerable to severe coronavirus disease 2019 and medical complications. Vaccination stands as an efficient and safe vanguard against infection. However, negative attitudes and perceptions pertaining to available vaccines might hinder community inoculation. The aim of this study was to assess vaccine hesitancy and its psychosocial determinants among the elderly in Qatar. We conducted a cross-sectional study between October 15 and November 15, 2020, using a composite online survey including the Vaccine Attitudes Examination Scale in addition to questions on sociodemographic correlates and the role of healthcare professionals. The vaccine hesitancy rate was 19.5%. The main reasons for willingness to vaccinate included understanding the nature of disease and role of vaccination, in addition to information provided by physicians. Fears mainly centered around vaccine safety. Vaccine hesitators were more likely to be non-Qatari and having received the influenza vaccine at least once. Gender, marital status, socioeconomic status, educational level, and having completed childhood vaccinations were not associated with vaccine hesitancy. Efforts should be directed toward raising awareness of vaccine efficacy and safety profiles. Physicians should additionally be educated about their pivotal role in advocating vaccine acceptance. We recommend reassessing vaccine hesitancy and its associated factors following a year of campaigning and vaccine administration to identify and target vulnerable groups.
老年人更容易感染严重的 2019 年冠状病毒病和出现医疗并发症。接种疫苗是预防感染的有效和安全手段。然而，对现有疫苗的负面态度和看法可能会阻碍社区接种。本研究旨在评估卡塔尔老年人对疫苗的犹豫态度及其社会心理决定因素。我们于 2020 年 10 月 15 日至 11 月 15 日进行了一项横断面研究，使用综合在线调查，包括疫苗态度评估量表以及关于社会人口学相关性和医疗保健专业人员作用的问题。疫苗犹豫率为 19.5%。愿意接种疫苗的主要原因包括了解疾病的性质和疫苗的作用，以及医生提供的信息。主要的担忧集中在疫苗的安全性上。疫苗犹豫者更有可能是非卡塔尔人，并且至少接种过一次流感疫苗。性别、婚姻状况、社会经济地位、教育水平和完成儿童期疫苗接种与疫苗犹豫无关。应努力提高对疫苗疗效和安全性的认识。此外，还应教育医生，让他们了解自己在倡导疫苗接种方面的关键作用。我们建议在开展宣传和接种疫苗一年后，重新评估疫苗犹豫及其相关因素，以确定和针对弱势群体。
