COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among healthcare workers in India: Results from a cross-sectional survey

Abstract

Background Remarkable scientific progress has enabled expeditious development of effective vaccines against COVID-19. While healthcare workers (HCWs) have been at the frontlines for the pandemic response, vaccine acceptance amongst them needs further study. Methods A web-based survey to assess vaccine acceptance and preparedness in India was disseminated to HCWs working in various settings between January and February 2021, shortly after the launch of Indias vaccination campaign. Descriptive statistics were used to examine respondent demographics and Likert scale responses. Binomial logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with vaccine acceptance. Results The survey yielded 624 respondents from 25 states and five union territories in India; 53.5% were male, and median age was 37 years (IQR 32-46). Amongst all respondents, 84.1% (525/624) supported COVID-19 vaccines, and 63.2% (141/223) of those unvaccinated at the time of survey administration were willing to accept a vaccine. Reliability on government sources, healthcare providers or scientific journal articles for COVID-19 related information was reported by 66.8%, while confidence in social media for this information was reported by only 4.5%. Factors independently associated with vaccine acceptance included advancing age (aOR 3.50 [95% CI, 1.04-11.76] for those above 45 years), evidence of vaccine effectiveness and safety (aOR 3.78 [95% CI 1.15-12.38]), and provision of free/no-cost vaccine (aOR 2.63 [95% CI, 1.06-6.50]). Most respondents (80%) were confident about their hospital being equipped to efficiently rollout COVID-19 vaccines to the general population. Conclusions Overall attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination and preparedness were positive among HCWs in India, although acceptance was lower among healthier and younger HCWs. Data availability on vaccine safety and effectiveness, and cost considerations were important for acceptance. Targeted interventions are needed to improve vaccine acceptance amongst HCWs, since they are critical in promoting vaccine acceptance amongst the general population.

COVID-19 vaccine knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and uptake among healthcare workers of Pune district, Maharashtra

“…Most of the studies to date focused on health workers from hospital settings or vaccine hesitancy. 25,26 We engage with HCWs due to their vital role in introducing the vaccine in the community and their association with community members. Research evidence shows that community health workers play a significant role in vaccine promotion and acceptance through community dialogue and engagement, education, trust-building, mythbusting, or community entry.…”

Nghiên cứu ý định tiêm mũi tăng cường vaccine COVID_19 của người dân Hà Nội

“…Tuy nhiên, bản thân mô hình TPB cũng còn nhiều mặt hạn chế do bỏ qua tác động của yếu tố về cảm xúc và các yếu tố bối cảnh khác. Ngoài ra, những nghiên cứu thực hiện trên quy mô nhỏ: giới hạn độ tuổi ở sinh viên Đại học (Folcarelli, 2022); chỉ khảo sát online do vướng đại dịch (Mikiko Tokiya, 2022); nghiên cứu chỉ tập trung vào nhân viên chăm sóc sức khỏe tuyến đầu (Leigh, et al, 2022) hay nhân viên y tế (Mehta, et al, 2022), do vậy bộc lộ những hạn chế về quy mô khảo sát, tính đại diện.…”

Nghiên cứu ý định tiêm mũi tăng cường vaccine COVID_19 của người dân Hà Nội

“…Tuy nhiên, bản thân mô hình TPB cũng còn nhiều mặt hạn chế do bỏ qua tác động của yếu tố về cảm xúc và các yếu tố bối cảnh khác. Ngoài ra, những nghiên cứu thực hiện trên quy mô nhỏ: giới hạn độ tuổi ở sinh viên Đại học (Folcarelli, 2022); chỉ khảo sát online do vướng đại dịch (Mikiko Tokiya, 2022); nghiên cứu chỉ tập trung vào nhân viên chăm sóc sức khỏe tuyến đầu (Leigh, et al, 2022) hay nhân viên y tế (Mehta, et al, 2022), do vậy bộc lộ những hạn chế về quy mô khảo sát, tính đại diện.…”