Trust and willingness towards COVID-19 vaccine uptake: a mixed-method study in Ghana, 2021

Abstract

Background On the account of limited doses of COVID-19 available to the country, the Government of Ghana created a priority list of persons to target for its vaccination agenda. In this paper, we look at trust and how it informs willingness to take the COVID-19 vaccine among persons targeted for the first phase of COVID-19 vaccination program in Ghana. Methods A sequential mixed-method investigation was conducted among the priority population - persons 60 years and above, frontline government functionaries, health workers, persons with underlying health conditions and, religious leaders and teachers. We sampled 415 respondents from the target population for a survey and 15 religious and traditional leaders from three cities; Accra, Cape Coast and Tamale for follow-up in-depth interviews based on the results of the survey data. Quantitative data is presented with descriptive proportions and multinomial logistic regression and thematic approach is applied to the interview data. Results Trust and willingness to take the vaccine are high in this priority population. Trust in the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine, rather than socioeconomic characteristics of respondents better predicted acceptance. From interview narratives, mistrust in political actors - both local and foreign, believe in superior protection of God and seeming misunderstanding of vaccine development processes countermand acceptance. On the other hand, the professional influence of people in one’s social networks, and past triumphs of vaccination programmes against concerning childhood diseases embed trust and acceptance. Conclusions Attention ought to be given to trust enhancing triggers while strategic communication approaches are used to remove triggers of mistrust.

Predictors of COVID-19 Stress and COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance among Adolescents in Ghana

“…This indicates that males are more likely to have nightmares, intrusive thoughts, or emotion-laden images related to COVID-19 due to either direct or vicarious traumatic exposure to COVID-19 and using maladaptive responses such as compulsive checking and reassurance seeking [73], which may exacerbate their COVID-19 stress levels. The current findings are consistent with previous studies that reported sex differences in COVID-19 attitudes and behaviours [63,64], leading to sex differences in COVID-19 infection [65], although other studies revealed contradictory findings on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance [61,66]. In sum, this study affirms that there are sex differences and that female adolescents are more likely to perceive COVID-19 as a dangerous health problem and be more prepared to comply with the available scientific preventive protocols, which may enhance the effectiveness of dealing with the pandemic.…”

“…Measurement scales have been developed to assess COVID-19 vaccination acceptance [49][50][51][52], which have helped researchers to objectively examine COVID-19 vaccination acceptance in various countries. Factors influencing COVID-19 vaccinations seem to be wide and varied, from external factors such as the culture, political governance, gross domestic product, and inter-country relationships [53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61] to internal or personal factors such as age, sex, educational levels, profession, and lifestyle behaviours [53,54,[56][57][58]61,62]. For instance, previous studies have reported sex differences in COVID-19 attitudes and behaviours [63,64], leading to sex differences in COVID-19 infection [65], although other studies revealed contradictory findings on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance [61,66,67].…”

“…Factors influencing COVID-19 vaccinations seem to be wide and varied, from external factors such as the culture, political governance, gross domestic product, and inter-country relationships [53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61] to internal or personal factors such as age, sex, educational levels, profession, and lifestyle behaviours [53,54,[56][57][58]61,62]. For instance, previous studies have reported sex differences in COVID-19 attitudes and behaviours [63,64], leading to sex differences in COVID-19 infection [65], although other studies revealed contradictory findings on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance [61,66,67]. Due to the varied nature of the factors influencing COVID-19 vaccination acceptance, it may be necessary that countries examine the specific factors influencing their citizens' COVID-19 vaccination acceptance as well as different age groups, such as adolescents.…”

Willingness to Accept the COVID-19 Vaccine and Related Factors among Indian Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Table S1: Strobe Statement for the study, Table S2: Studies conducted on the general population of other LMICs testing vaccine acceptance and related factors. References [ 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 ] are cited in the supplementary materials.…”

Infodemic Management Using Digital Information and Knowledge Cocreation to Address COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy: Case Study From Ghana

“…The Talkwalker posts and interactions are mainly published by men and young adults, excluding the voices of women, youth, and older people. In addition, here are still significant numbers of people, particularly in vulnerable populations such as low-income individuals and those who cannot read and write, who are not reached by digital platforms [ 44 ]. Accordingly, there is a need to merge offline listening systems with the infodemic management system, such as the perspectives of community leaders, who are highly respected in Ghana, and women, who play a key role in the vaccination decision-making of their children in Ghana [ 45 , 46 ].…”