Factors Associated With COVID-19 Vaccination Uptake in Community Health Center Patients

• Published in: Health psychology Vol. 42; no. 8; pp. 551 - 556
• Main Authors: Buscemi, Joanna, Arteaga, Nadia, O'Donnell, Alex, Takgbajouah, Mary, Bushnell, Abigail, Mirich, Catherine, Sagan, Dylan, Riley, Elizabeth, Harley, Peggy, Cabbler, Ariq
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Psychological Association 01-08-2023
• Subjects: Community Health; COVID-19; Demographic Characteristics; Equity; Female; Human; Immunization; Male; Patients; Risk Perception; Vaccination; COVID-19; health equity; vaccination uptake; vaccination hesitancy; medical mistrust
• ISBN: 9781433896965; 1433896966
• ISSN: 0278-6133; 1930-7810
• DOI: 10.1037/hea0001241

Objectives: Previous research on COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy has found that sociodemographic factors including sex, age, education, and occupation were associated with vaccination acceptance, along with other variables like trust in authorities, risk perception of COVID-19 and perception of vaccine efficacy and safety. However, this research has been limited by the use of nonvalidated measures for vaccination hesitancy and utilizing general samples that did not focus on minoritized groups. The purpose of the current study was to use validated methodology to determine factors associated with vaccination uptake in a community sample of predominantly Black and Latinx adults. Method: One-hundred and 9 participants (70% female, 40% Black, 40% Latinx) completed a survey assessing sociodemographic variables, vaccination uptake, medical mistrust, and vaccination attitudes. Results: Multivariate logistic regression revealed that higher scores on the mistrust of the vaccine benefit subscale were associated with lower vaccination uptake (OR = .45, p < .001) and higher levels of education were associated with higher levels of vaccination uptake (OR = 1.56; p = .048). No other demographic variables, nor other aspects of vaccination hesitancy, were associated with vaccination uptake. Conclusions: Taken together, our findings speak to the importance of dispelling misinformation and building community trust in public health efforts. Specifically, vaccine mistrust may be an especially important focus of community-based education efforts.