Rivera Tamara, Brustrom Jennifer, Vera Antelo Maite, Puertas E Benjamin, Rhoda Dale A, Velandia-Gonzalez Martha
Comprehensive Immunization Program, Pan American Health Organization, 525 23rd Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037, USA.
Biostat Global Consulting, 330 Blandford Drive, Worthington, OH 43085, USA.
Vaccines (Basel). 2023 Sep 10;11(9):1471. doi: 10.3390/vaccines11091471.
Health workers (HWs) have a key role in promoting vaccine acceptance. This study draws on the Behavioral and Social Drivers of Vaccination (BeSD) model and our team's investigation of vaccine hesitancy in a sample of 1197 HWs across 14 Caribbean countries in 2021. We conducted a cross-sectional Internet survey of 6718 HWs across 16 countries in Latin America in spring 2022, after the COVID-19 vaccine had recently become widely available in the region. The survey assessed HWs' attitudes regarding COVID-19 vaccines and vaccines in general. As a proxy measure of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, we used the willingness to recommend the COVID-19 vaccine to eligible people. Ninety-seven percent of respondents were COVID-19 vaccine acceptant. Although nearly all respondents felt that the COVID-19 vaccine was safe and effective, 59% expressed concerns about potential adverse effects. Despite uniformly high acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine overall and across Latin American subregions, acceptance differed by sex, HW profession, and COVID-19 history. Social processes, including actions and opinions of friends, family, and colleagues; actions and opinions of religious leaders; and information seen on social networks shaped many respondents' opinions of vaccines, and the magnitude of these effects differed across both demographic and geographic subgroups. Information campaigns designed for HWs should underscore the importance of vaccine safety. Messages should be tailored to specific audiences according to the information source each is most likely to consult and trust.
卫生工作者在促进疫苗接种接受度方面发挥着关键作用。本研究借鉴了疫苗接种的行为和社会驱动因素（BeSD）模型以及我们团队在2021年对14个加勒比国家1197名卫生工作者样本中疫苗犹豫情况的调查。在2022年春季，新冠疫苗在拉丁美洲地区刚刚广泛可用之后，我们对该地区16个国家的6718名卫生工作者进行了一项横断面互联网调查。该调查评估了卫生工作者对新冠疫苗及一般疫苗的态度。作为新冠疫苗接种接受度的一项替代指标，我们使用了向符合条件的人推荐新冠疫苗的意愿。97%的受访者接受新冠疫苗。尽管几乎所有受访者都认为新冠疫苗安全有效，但59%的人对潜在不良反应表示担忧。尽管总体上以及在拉丁美洲各次区域对新冠疫苗的接受度都很高，但接受度因性别、卫生工作者职业和新冠病史而异。社会过程，包括朋友、家人和同事的行为及观点；宗教领袖的行为及观点；以及在社交网络上看到的信息，塑造了许多受访者对疫苗的看法，而且这些影响的程度在人口统计学和地理亚组中各不相同。为卫生工作者设计的宣传活动应强调疫苗安全的重要性。信息应根据每个特定受众最有可能咨询和信任的信息来源进行量身定制。
