Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Dec 31, 2020
Date Accepted: Feb 19, 2021
Date Submitted to PubMed: Apr 14, 2021
COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Canada: a content analysis of Tweets using the Theoretical Domains Framework
ABSTRACT
Background:
With the approval of two COVID-19 vaccines in Canada, many people feel a sense of relief with hope on the horizon. However, only about 75% of Canadians plan to receive one of the vaccines.
Objective:
The purpose of this research is to determine the reasons Canadians feel hesitant towards taking a COVID-19 vaccine.
Methods:
We analyzed 3,915 Tweets from public Twitter profiles in Canada using the search words “vaccine” and “COVID.” Those Tweets that met the inclusion criteria (i.e., were about COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy) were coded using content analysis. Codes were then organized into themes then interpreted using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF).
Results:
Overall, 605 Tweets identified as exhibiting COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Vaccine hesitancy stems from the following six themes: concerns over safety; suspicion about political and/or economic forces driving the COVID-19 or the vaccine; lack of knowledge about the vaccine; anti-vaccine or confusing messaging from authority figures; lack of legal liability from the vaccine companies; and the historical legacy of mistrust toward the medical industry by minority communities. These themes were categorized into five TDF constructs: knowledge, beliefs about consequences, environment context and resources, and social influence.
Conclusions:
With the World Health Organization stating that one of the worst threats to global health is vaccine hesitancy, it is important to have a fulsome understanding of the reasons behind this reluctance. Healthcare leaders and clinicians may use this knowledge to build public health interventions that are responsive to the concerns of citizens who are hesitant to get vaccinated. Using a behavioural theory, this research adds to the emerging knowledge about vaccine hesitancy in relation to COVID-19 using public discourse from Tweets in real-time. Clinical Trial: n/a
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