Vaccine Intention, Uptake, and Hesitancy Among US Certified Food Producers: The National COVID-19 Organic Farmer Study

Abstract

Objective To estimate COVID-19 vaccine intention, uptake, and hesitancy among essential workers. Methods A cross-sectional survey of USDA-certified organic producers. An electronic survey was used for data collection. Analyses included descriptive statistics, χ2 tests, and ordinal logistic regressions. Results The dataset consisted of 273 records. While 63% of respondents had received at least 1 dose of COVID-19 vaccine, only 17% had the recommended minimum of 2 doses. More than two-thirds of unvaccinated individuals indicated no plan to receive the vaccine, and limited perception of vaccine necessity. They indicated concerns about side effects and a distrust of the vaccines and the government. Age, education level, acreage, region, and health insurance status were variables significantly associated with the number of doses of vaccine received. Conclusions Interventions to encourage vaccination may target farmers who are less educated, live alone or just with one other person, lack health insurance, and run larger farms. Results also suggest focusing on enhancing trust in science and the government. Theory-based approaches that address low perception of risk and severity may be more likely to be effective with this population. Information on how US organic producers handled the COVID-19 pandemic is critical for emergency preparedness and food system stability.