Vaccine Refusal in the Czech Republic Is Associated with Being Spiritual but Not Religiously Affiliated

Kosarkova, Alice; Maliňáková, Klára; Dijk, Jitse P. van; Tavel, Peter

doi:10.3390/vaccines9101157

Cited by 25 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…According to the results of the survey, 39.2% were vaccinated and 25.6% wanted vaccines; nevertheless, 29.5% indicated hostility towards vaccination. Similar results were recorded in other studies that were conducted in Romania [ 23 , 27 ] and in other Eastern European countries [ 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 ]. At the time of performing the survey, between 10 May and 31 May 2021, proof of vaccination was not mandatory in Romania, and it was not prohibited in Romania to visit any public locations without being vaccinated.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Acceptance and Factors Influencing Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccine in a Romanian Population

Ionescu

Fetecau

Giurgiuca

et al. 2022

JPM

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COVID-19 vaccination has been recognized as one of the most effective ways to overcome the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. However, the success of this effort relies on national vaccination programmes. In May 2021, we surveyed 1552 people from Romania to determine acceptance rates and factors influencing acceptance of a COVID-19 vaccine. Of these, 39.2% of participants reported that they were vaccinated and 25.6% desired vaccination; nonetheless, 29.5% expressed opposition to vaccination. Concerning vaccination refusal, the top justification given by respondents is that the vaccine is insufficiently safe and there is a risk of serious side effects (84.4%). A higher rate of vaccination refusal was observed among female gender, younger age, and lower educational level. Refusal was also associated with unemployment, being in a relationship, and having a decrease in income during the pandemic. People who are constantly informed by specialized medical staff have a statistically significant higher vaccination rate, while people who choose to get information from friends, family, and co-workers have the strongest intention of avoiding the vaccine. Current levels of vaccine are insufficient to achieve herd immunity of 67%. It is mandatory to understand the aspects that define and establish confidence and to craft nationwide interventions appropriately.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Acceptance and Factors Influencing Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccine in a Romanian Population

Ionescu

Fetecau

Giurgiuca

et al. 2022

JPM

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“…In a study from the Czech Republic, spiritual respondents were more likely (a 37% increase in the odds) to refuse vaccination [ 47 ]. Spiritual but non-religiously affiliated respondents were about 4.43 times more likely to refuse the vaccination than nonspiritual nonreligious respondents.…”

Section: Confidence In Vaccines’ Safety and Efficacymentioning

confidence: 99%

Determinants of the Hesitancy toward COVID-19 Vaccination in Eastern European Countries and the Relationship with Health and Vaccine Literacy: A Literature Review

et al. 2022

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Herd immunity is necessary to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, a low proportion of vaccinated people and low levels of vaccine acceptance have been noted in Eastern Europe. Our paper aimed to review the central attitudes associated with the hesitancy toward COVID-19 vaccination specific to Eastern European countries. The main Eastern European determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance identified from the included studies are: public confidence in the vaccines’ safety and efficacy, vaccine literacy, and public trust in the government and the medical system. Each of these determinants is discussed along with possible improvement measures. Variables specific to Eastern Europe that predict the willingness to vaccinate have also been highlighted. The specific attitudes and their context as identified by our review should be incorporated into local public health programs, with the ultimate goal of reducing viral spreading, mutation emergence, and COVID-19 morbidity and mortality both within the borders of Eastern Europe and beyond.

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“…Given the limitations of passive surveillance systems and their high odds of false-positive results, it is impossible to establish a causal relationship between COVID-19 vaccines and these events solely based on these reports [19]. COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among the Czech population has been variable and dependent on the population subgroup, impact of media and social media, trust in the pharmaceutical industry, knowledge, personal values, and fear of side effects [20][21][22]. However, PLW is a group that is traditionally a frequent target of vaccine hesitancy studies; there is still a lack of evidence on the prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among this particular population, especially in Central Europe [5,23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance of Pregnant and Lactating Women (PLW) in Czechia: An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study

Riad

Jouzová

Üstün

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Pregnant and lactating women (PLW) represent a particular population subset with increased susceptibility for COVID-19 morbidity and mortality, even though the evidence about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines was delayed due to their initial exclusion from development trials. This unclear situation could have led to increased COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy levels among PLW; therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the attitudes of Czech PLW towards COVID-19 vaccines and the determinants of their attitudes. An analytical cross-sectional survey-based study was carried out in the University Hospital Brno (South Moravia, Czechia) between August and October 2021. The study utilised a self-administered questionnaire (SAQ) adapted from previous instruments used for the same purpose. The SAQ included closed-ended items covering demographic characteristics, clinical and obstetric characteristics, attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination, and potential psychosocial predictors of vaccine acceptance. Out of the 362 included participants, 278 were pregnant (PW) and 84 were lactating women (LW). The overall COVID-19 vaccine acceptance (immediate and delayed) level was substantially high (70.2%), with a significant difference between PW (76.6%) and LW (48.8%). Out of the 70.2% who agreed to receive the vaccine, 3.6% indicated immediate acceptance, and 66.6% indicated delayed acceptance. Only 13.3% of the participants indicated their acceptance of their physician’s vaccination recommendation during pregnancy or while lactating, and 62.2% were against it. Our results agreed with the recent studies that revealed that PW tended to have a high level of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, and they were also inclined to resist professional recommendations because they predominantly preferred to delay their vaccination. The pregnancy trimester, education level, employment status, and previous live births were significant determinants for COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. The most commonly preferred vaccine type was mRNA-based vaccines, followed by viral vector-based and inactivated virus vaccines. The first top priority of PLW was vaccine safety for their children, followed by vaccine safety for the PLW and vaccine effectiveness. Regarding psychosocial predictors, media/social media, trust in the government, the pharmaceutical industry, and healthcare professionals, partners, and a positive risk-benefit ratio were significant promoters for COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. Findings from this study suggest that promotional interventions targeting PLW should use web platforms and focus on vaccine safety evidence, the expected benefits of vaccines and potential harms of the infection.

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Vaccine Refusal in the Czech Republic Is Associated with Being Spiritual but Not Religiously Affiliated

Cited by 25 publications

References 62 publications

Acceptance and Factors Influencing Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccine in a Romanian Population

Acceptance and Factors Influencing Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccine in a Romanian Population

Determinants of the Hesitancy toward COVID-19 Vaccination in Eastern European Countries and the Relationship with Health and Vaccine Literacy: A Literature Review

COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance of Pregnant and Lactating Women (PLW) in Czechia: An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study

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