Fuller Heather R, Huseth-Zosel Andrea, Vleet Bryce Van, Hajdar Melisa, Carson Paul J
Department of Human Development and Family Science, North Dakota State University, P.O. Box 6050, Fargo, ND 58108-6050, United States.
Department of Public Health, North Dakota State University, P.O. Box 6050, Fargo, ND 58108-6050, United States.
Vaccine. 2023 Oct 6;41(42):6350-6358. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.09.005. Epub 2023 Sep 9.
Older adults face increased risks from infectious diseases which are often preventable with vaccines. The current study examines demographic variation in vaccine hesitancy among older adults in North Dakota.
A mailed survey assessing age, gender, years of education, self-rated health, rurality, and political leaning as well as vaccine attitudes and vaccine acceptance was conducted with 739 older adults (65+), oversampled from rural counties.
Vaccine hesitant attitudes were significantly higher among rural and politically-conservative older adults; whereas, vaccine acceptance was significantly higher among older, healthier, and politically-liberal older adults. Vaccine attitudes were significantly associated with vaccine acceptance and mediated the association between political leaning and vaccine acceptance.
These findings highlight the demographic characteristics predictive of older adults' vaccine attitudes and acceptance. By better understanding the nuanced factors leading to hesitation to be vaccinated, practitioners can develop strategies to increase vaccination rates among this at-risk population.
老年人面临的传染病风险增加，而这些疾病通常可以通过疫苗预防。本研究调查了北达科他州老年人在疫苗犹豫方面的人口统计学差异。
对739名65岁及以上的老年人进行了邮寄调查，评估了年龄、性别、受教育年限、自我健康评价、农村地区属性、政治倾向以及疫苗态度和疫苗接受情况，这些老年人是从农村县进行过度抽样选取的。
农村和政治保守的老年人中疫苗犹豫态度明显更高；而年龄较大、健康状况较好和政治自由的老年人中疫苗接受度明显更高。疫苗态度与疫苗接受度显著相关，并介导了政治倾向与疫苗接受度之间的关联。
这些发现突出了预测老年人疫苗态度和接受度的人口统计学特征。通过更好地理解导致犹豫接种疫苗的细微因素，从业者可以制定策略来提高这一高危人群的疫苗接种率。
