What is the extent of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Bangladesh? A cross-sectional rapid national survey

Abstract

ObjectivesTo assess COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Bangladesh and identify population subgroups with higher odds of vaccine hesitancy.DesignA nationally representative cross-sectional survey was used for this study. Descriptive analyses helped to compute vaccine hesitancy proportions and compare them across groups. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to compute the adjusted OR.SettingBangladesh.ParticipantsA total of 1134 participants from the general population, aged 18 years and above participated in this study.Outcome measuresPrevalence and predictors of vaccine hesitancy.ResultsOf the total participants, 32.5% showed COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Hesitancy was high among respondents who were men, over 60, unemployed, from low-income families, from central Bangladesh, including Dhaka, living in rented houses, tobacco users, politically affiliated, doubtful of the vaccine’s efficacy for Bangladeshis and those who did not have any physical illnesses in the past year. In the multiple logistic regression models, transgender respondents (adjusted OR, AOR=3.62), married individuals (AOR=1.49), tobacco users (AOR=1.33), those who had not experienced any physical illnesses in the past year (AOR=1.49), those with political affiliations with opposition parties (AOR=1.48), those who believed COVID-19 vaccines would not be effective for Bangladeshis (AOR=3.20), and those who were slightly concerned (AOR=2.87) or not concerned at all (AOR=7.45) about themselves or a family member getting infected with COVID-19 in the next year were significantly associated with vaccine hesitancy (p<0.05).ConclusionsGiven the high prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, in order to guarantee that COVID-19 vaccinations are widely distributed, the government and public health experts must be prepared to handle vaccine hesitancy and increase vaccine awareness among potential recipients. To address these issues and support COVID-19 immunisation programs, evidence-based educational and policy-level initiatives must be undertaken especially for the poor, older and chronically diseased individuals.

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the adult population in Bangladesh: A nationwide cross-sectional survey

“…The study also found that 2.9% of the respondents would discourage their family members from receiving the vaccination, and 3% forbid their family members. Overall, this study found a prevalence of 46.2% hesitancy to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, which is a higher estimate than Kabir et al (31%) [ 20 ], Ali and Hossain (32.5%) [ 13 ], and Mahmud et al (38.8%) [ 21 ]. This higher prevalence may partly be explained because the existing studies were conducted in Bangladesh [ 13 , 20 , 21 ] as a rapid assessment of the situation, resulting from participant selection bias.…”

“…We used the following formula to calculate the sample size: (Z 2 pq/e 2 )Deff*NR. We used Z-score for 95% confidence interval (Z = 1.96), prevalence (p) of willingness to accept a COVID-19 vaccine from an earlier study (p = 0.325) [ 13 ], margin of error (e = 0.03); design effect (Deff = 1.6) for sampling variation; and a non-response rate (NR = 10%). The calculated sample size was 1635, distributed for face-to-face and online surveys using a 2:1 ratio considering the country’s digital divide.…”

“…The studies conducted around the world to explore the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy has shown that various socio-economic and demographic variables, different constructs of health belief model (HBM) [ 9 , 10 ], level of knowledge related to the vaccine [ 11 , 12 ], attitude towards COVID-19 vaccination [ 12 , 13 ], conspiracy beliefs regarding the origin, effectiveness, and consequences of receiving vaccines [ 14 , 15 ], preventive behavioral practices related to COVID-19 [ 16 , 17 ], newness, safety, and probable side effects of the vaccine [ 18 ] as primarily responsible for vaccine hesitancy.…”

“…Studies related to vaccine hesitancy, COVID-19, or other diseases, are scanty in Bangladesh, despite the growing necessity of understanding the people’s vaccination-related behavior. Few studies have been conducted in Bangladesh to assess the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, which has reported a vaccine hesitancy rate between 25.4% to 50% [ 13 , 19 – 22 ]. However, the findings of these studies are not representative of the context of Bangladesh and have the following limitations: small sample size [ 20 , 21 ]; collecting data using only the online platform [ 19 – 21 ] despite having an apparent existence of a digital divide across the country [ 23 ]; and non-use of psychological and behavioral variables related to vaccine hesitancy [ 22 ].…”

Perceptions Regarding COVID-19 Vaccination Among a Representative Pakistani Population Coming to Tertiary Care Cardiac Hospital

“…As mentioned before the difference was expected because of more literate responders in those studies. Our acceptance rate is even lower than our neighboring countries and unfortunately is far lower than what is required for herd immunity [6,8,10,20].…”