Söderberg Mia, Swaid Juhaina, Aurelius Kristina, Rosengren Annika, Jakobsson Kristina, Magnusson Maria
Occupational and Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Region Västra Götaland, Gothenburg, Sweden.
BMC Public Health. 2024 Dec 5;24(1):3389. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-20959-y.
In most countries, lower rates of COVID-19 vaccination have been observed in foreign-born individuals, yet little is known about the underlying reasons, especially as reported by these individuals themselves. This exploratory interview study investigated lack of information access and hesitancy towards taking the COVID-19 vaccine among foreign-born individuals in Sweden.
We used purposive sampling to recruit foreign-born adults who expressed being hesitant towards getting vaccinated, as well as health guides and doulas who were assigned to spread COVID-19 related information in immigrant-dense urban areas. Data were collected using semi-structured focus group interviews, which were transcribed verbatim and analysed according to systematic text condensation.
Three focus group interviews were conducted with altogether eleven participants. One group consisted of health guides/doulas, while the participants in the other groups were gainfully employed in other jobs, or full-time students, or housewives. Four main themes emerged: (1) Language barriers and sociocultural differences, (2) Consequences of not using official Swedish information, (3) Decision-making on COVID-19 vaccination, and (4) Suggestions to improve information dissemination. The lack of information in other languages than Swedish and lack of effective information channels resulted in that most participants barely used information from official Swedish health care and public health institutions. Instead, they relied on social media, social contacts and international media, through which contradictive and negative information about the vaccine was spread. The decision to get vaccinated or not became a process fraught with insecurities about the effectiveness and side effects of the vaccine, which was balanced against wishing to be protected and to contribute to the battle against COVID-19. The participants suggested that information dissemination could be improved by producing a multilingual information outreach and to increase the use of transmission through social interaction with trusted persons and platforms.
An inadequately adapted information strategy prevented some members of the society from making fact-based decisions about getting vaccinated. Several suggestions for improving dissemination were brought forth that can be tested in future communication strategies.
在大多数国家，外国出生的人群中新冠疫苗接种率较低，但其背后的原因却鲜为人知，尤其是这些人群自身所报告的原因。这项探索性访谈研究调查了瑞典外国出生人群中获取信息不足以及对接种新冠疫苗的犹豫态度。
我们采用目的抽样法，招募了对接种疫苗表示犹豫的外国出生成年人，以及被分配到移民密集城市地区传播新冠相关信息的健康指导人员和导乐。通过半结构化焦点小组访谈收集数据，访谈内容逐字转录，并根据系统文本浓缩法进行分析。
共进行了三次焦点小组访谈，共有11名参与者。一组由健康指导人员/导乐组成，而其他组的参与者分别从事其他有酬工作、是全日制学生或家庭主妇。出现了四个主要主题：（1）语言障碍和社会文化差异，（2）不使用瑞典官方信息的后果，（3）新冠疫苗接种的决策，以及（4）改善信息传播的建议。除瑞典语外其他语言信息的缺乏以及有效信息渠道的缺失，导致大多数参与者几乎不使用瑞典官方医疗保健和公共卫生机构的信息。相反，他们依赖社交媒体、社会联系和国际媒体，而这些渠道传播了关于疫苗的矛盾和负面信息。接种疫苗与否的决定成为一个充满对疫苗有效性和副作用不安全感的过程，这种不安全感要与希望得到保护以及为抗击新冠疫情做出贡献的愿望相权衡。参与者建议，可以通过制作多语言信息推广材料，并增加通过与可信赖的人和平台进行社交互动来传播信息，从而改善信息传播。
信息策略调整不当阻碍了一些社会成员基于事实做出接种疫苗的决定。提出了一些改善传播的建议，可在未来的沟通策略中进行测试。
