JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Vaccine hesitancy, one of the top ten threats to global health, is the delay or refusal to receive a vaccine, despite access, availability, and perceived effectiveness of the vaccine. As part of a larger project to identify, understand, and address modifiable barriers and factors contributing to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among vaccine eligible individuals in Alaska and Idaho, a cross-sectional survey was conducted.

Objective:

The goal of this project is to identify, understand, and address modifiable barriers and factors contributing to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among vaccine eligible individuals with access to the vaccine in Alaska and Idaho.

Methods:

A 31-question survey was developed based on the World Health Organization (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group on Experts (SAGE) previous hesitancy work. The survey was distributed in June/July 2021 using social media platforms. Survey eligibility criteria included adults residing in Alaska or Idaho.For data analysis, respondents were grouped into four mutually exclusive cohorts, those that: 1) did not intend to be fully vaccinated, 2) were unsure of their vaccination intentions, 3) intended to be fully vaccinated but had not yet received their first dose, and 4) were fully vaccinated or intended to be fully vaccinated and had received at least one dose. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA and chi-square tests were used to compare cohorts. P-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Data from 739 usable surveys found 40 respondents had no intentions to be vaccinated, 27 were unsure of their vaccination intentions, 8 intended to be vaccinated but had not received their first dose, and 661 were fully vaccinated or intended to be one with one dose already received. There were 3 individuals that had received their first dose but did not plan to receive their second.

Results:

Data from 739 usable surveys found 40 respondents had no intentions to be vaccinated, 27 were unsure of their vaccination intentions, 8 intended to be vaccinated but had not received their first dose, and 661 were fully vaccinated or intended to be one with one dose already received. There were 3 individuals that had received their first dose but did not plan to receive their second. Those that are fully vaccinated or intend to be fully vaccinated with at least one dose received had the oldest mean age (59.1 years), whereas other cohorts had younger respondents. Nearly 90% of respondents in the intend to be fully vaccinated but had not yet received their first dose cohort were men versus only 18% in the fully vaccinated/intend to be fully vaccinated with one dose received cohort. Statistical differences in race and ethnicity were noted; however, groups were predominantly White and not Hispanic or Latino.

Conclusions:

The project survey results reveal that it is important to recognize individual characteristics that may influence vaccine choices. However, these individual characteristics represent only a starting point in delivering tailored messages that should come from trusted sources to address vaccination barriers.