COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among adults in Hawassa City Administration, Sidama Region, Ethiopia: A community-based study

Abstract

ObjectiveThe COVID-19 vaccine is one of the key measures to control the disease. However, some people are hesitant to take the vaccine. The objective of this study was to assess COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and associated factors among adults in Hawassa City Administration, South Ethiopia.MethodFrom March 1 to 30, 2022, we conducted a community-based cross-sectional study among randomly selected 622 adults in Hawassa City Administration. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to recruit the study participants. Data were collected through a pretested structured questionnaire that was administered by four trained high school graduates. Data entry and analysis were done using the SPSS version 20 statistical package. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were performed. Statistically significant associations were reported at p-value <0.05.ResultAmong the participants, 400 of them (64.3%) had a high level of knowledge about the COVID-19 vaccine) and 425 of them (68.3%) had a positive attitude toward the COVID-19 vaccine. The level of vaccine hesitancy was 165 (26.5%) and vaccine acceptance was 457 (73.5%). The main reason for willingness to take the vaccine was to protect oneself from COVID-19 (364 participants, 58.5%), and for unwillingness, it was fear of the vaccine (154 participants, 24.8%). Mass media was the main source of information about the vaccine (472 participants, 75.9%). Age (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 2.1, 95% CI: 1.2–3.7), religion (AOR: 2.6, 95% CI: 1.1–5.9), history of COVID-19 disease (AOR: 4.6, 95% CI: 1.4–14.9), knowledge related to the COVID-19 vaccine (AOR: 1.9, 95% CI: 1.2–3.1), and attitude toward the COVID-19 vaccine (AOR: 13.2, 95% CI: 8.3–20.9) were factors associated with vaccine hesitancy.ConclusionA low proportion of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was observed among our study participants. Improving people's awareness could help to improve vaccine acceptance. It is important to focus interventions on the identified risk factors of vaccine hesitancy.

Barriers and Intention to Get Vaccinated for COVID-19 and Associated Factors Among Adults in Southwest Ethiopia: A Theory of Planned Behavior Approach

“… 34 , 35 This finding was smaller than that of a cross-sectional study of diabetic patients at Woldia Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, northern Ethiopia (82.6%) and the community-based study conducted at Hawassa City about COVID-19 vaccine acceptance (73.5%). 36 , 37 This difference might be due to the differences in the health status of the study population. This result is equivalent to that of studies conducted in the Gurage zone of Ethiopia (62.6%), a population-based anonymous online survey in Ethiopia (64.9%), a study conducted on healthcare workers in northeastern Ethiopia (64.0%), a study conducted at Wolkite University among medical and health science students with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (58.8%), a study conducted among Adult clients at public hospitals in Eastern Ethiopia using the HBM approach (54.6%), and two separate systematic and meta-analysis studies that pooled the prevalence of vaccine acceptance in Ethiopia (51.2% and 57.8%).…”

Feature selection and association rule learning identify risk factors of malnutrition among Ethiopian schoolchildren

“…Having received vaccinations may be especially important in the urban context where individuals are frequently coming into contact with each other ( 89 ). This may be exacerbated by studies that have shown a high degree of vaccine hesitancy among Ethiopians ( 90 , 91 ), since low levels of vaccination allow for a greater prevalence of infectious diseases.…”

Contextualizing Vaccine Hesitancy: A Scoping Review of Factors Influencing COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake

“…It is therefore vital that health care services make sure any misconceptions are discussed with this high-risk population. The perceived risk to others was also a reason that was mentioned in some studies, this was demonstrated through vaccine enabling factors such as wanting to protect family and having a sense of community [8,36]. Highlighting the risk of transmitting the virus to more vulnerable populations may serve as a unique approach in public health messaging for those populations who may believe they are at low risk.…”

“…Various studies considered the effect of religiosity; however, the results were varied. Some studies demonstrated that belief in religions (Catholicism, Buddhism, Islam) were barriers to vaccination, but other studies found that passivity towards religious practices was also a barrier [11,32,33,36]. Various cultural practices and norms were also identified as factors.…”

“…For example, in studies from Malaysia and Indonesia where the majority of the population follow Islam, wanting the vaccine to first be certified halal or the belief the vaccine was not halal were important factors that were associated with vaccine hesitancy [9,35]. Belief in traditional medicine and other local prevention methods was another cultural factor that was identified as a barrier to vaccine uptake [11,36]. These cultural factors are important topics to consider in public health messaging, especially in rural areas which were found to have strong cultural norms and belief in traditional medicines.…”