Attitudes towards Monkeypox vaccination and predictors of vaccination intentions among the US general public

Abstract

Amidst an unprecedented Monkeypox outbreak, we aimed to measure knowledge, attitudes, practices and Monkeypox vaccination intentions among the U.S. adult population. We conducted an online cross-sectional survey, representative of the U.S. adult general public in June 2022. We asked participants whether they would receive a Monkeypox vaccine, if they were recommended to do so. Participants also answered questions on their self-assessed level of Monkeypox knowledge, risk perception, perceived exaggeration of the threat, and self-efficacy around Monkeypox. Furthermore, we asked about their trusted sources of information, COVID-19 vaccination status and administered the 6-item Vaccine Trust Indicator (VTI). Survey weights were created based on age, gender and race. We analyzed predictors of Monkeypox vaccination intentions using logistic regression, adjusted for education, age, race and ethnicity. A total of 856 respondents completed the survey, of which 51% (n = 436) were female and 41% (n = 348) had a college degree or higher. If recommended, 46% of respondents intended to get vaccinated against Monkeypox, 29% would not get vaccinated and 25% did not know. Almost half the respondents (47%) found their own knowledge level about Monkeypox poor or very poor. The most trusted sources of information about the outbreak were healthcare professionals and officials, but also known doctors and researchers with a large online following. Only 24% indicated that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should be in charge of the outbreak response. Being vaccinated against COVID-19 was a strong predictor of intention to receive a Monkeypox if recommended (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) 29.2, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 13.1–65.3). Increased risk perception was positively associated with vaccination intentions (aOR 2.6, 95% CI 1.8–3.6), scoring high on the VTI as well (5.4, 95% CI (3.2–9.1). The low levels of self-assessed knowledge, vaccination intentions and influence of COVID-19 vaccination status point to a lack of clear communication.

Mpox in Nigeria: Perceptions and knowledge of the disease among critical stakeholders—Global public health consequences

“…The 60.5% adequate knowledge found in this study is lower than the 70% good knowledge found among Jordanian healthcare students [ 35 ]. However, the 60.5% adequate knowledge is higher than 48% among the general population in Saudi Arabia [ 32 ], 36.6% in Indonesian general healthcare practitioners [ 36 ], 27% among Italian medical professionals [ 37 ] and 47% found among the general public in the US [ 38 ]. Similarly, the overall knowledge score of 4.8 found in this study is higher than 3.8 reported in Kuwait [ 39 ].…”

Knowledge, Attitude and Conspiracy Beliefs of Healthcare Workers in Lebanon towards Monkeypox

“…Additionally, satisfactory knowledge and positive attitude towards MPOX vaccination can affect HCWs’ recommendation of the vaccine for other high-risk groups (e.g., men who have sex with men (MSM)) [ 28 , 40 ]. Specifically, and in the context of MPOX vaccination intention among the general public in the U.S., Winters et al reported that the most trusted sources of information regarding the outbreak were HCWs [ 41 ].…”

Assessment of risk perception and subjective norms related to Mpox (monkeypox) among adult males in Bangladesh: A cross‐sectional study

“…Risk perception and normative beliefs are associated with vaccination intention 21–24 . A study conducted on the US population to examine the Mpox vaccination attitudes of the participants revealed that those with the highest risk perception appeared to be more interested in receiving the vaccination 20 . During the Covid‐19 pandemic, people severely affected by the coronavirus showed agreement with vaccination acceptance 37–39 .…”

“…Similarly, participants assumed to be at the highest risk had a favorable attitude toward vaccination, 42–45 whereas people with lower risk perceptions had lower vaccination intentions, according to a few additional studies 43,46 . A study conducted among clinicians in the United States stated that participants who perceived a higher risk perception of Mpox were more likely to be ready to receive the vaccine, and they were concerned about the people who did not consider Mpox a severe risk as they were less likely to be interested in vaccination uptake 20 . People in the United States with a higher risk perception wanted to get vaccinated against COVID‐19 47 .…”

“…Risk perception has been one of the significant predictors of vaccination intentions. Subjective norms have also an impact on the decision of vaccine uptake 19–24 . So, individual risk perception and subjective norms are critical predictors of vaccination decisions against Mpox.…”