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. 2021 Oct 9;9(10):1152.
doi: 10.3390/vaccines9101152.

Correlates of COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance, Hesitancy and Refusal among Employees of a Safety Net California County Health System with an Early and Aggressive Vaccination Program: Results from a Cross-Sectional Survey

Nicole M Gatto  1 , Jerusha E Lee  2 , Donatella Massai  1 , Susanna Zamarripa  3 , Bijan Sasaninia  3 , Dhruv Khurana  3 , Kelsey Michaels  3 , Deborah Freund  1   2 , Judi Nightingale  3 , Anthony Firek  3
Affiliations

Correlates of COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance, Hesitancy and Refusal among Employees of a Safety Net California County Health System with an Early and Aggressive Vaccination Program: Results from a Cross-Sectional Survey

Nicole M Gatto et al. Vaccines (Basel). .

Abstract

Since health professionals provide frontline care to COVID-19 patients, information on vaccine acceptance among healthcare workers is needed. We developed and implemented an anonymous internet-based cross-sectional survey with direct solicitation among employees of a safety net health system. Items queried demographic and health-related characteristics, experience with and knowledge of COVID-19, and determinants of decisions to vaccinate. COVID-19 vaccine acceptance groups (acceptors, hesitant, refusers) were defined; an adapted version of the WHO vaccine hesitancy scale was included. The survey demonstrated good reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.92 for vaccine hesitancy scale; 0.93 for determinants). General linear and logistic regression methods examined factors which were univariately associated with vaccine hesitancy and vaccine acceptance, respectively. Multivariable models were constructed with stepwise model-building procedures. Race/ethnicity, marital status, job classification, immunocompromised status, flu vaccination and childhood vaccination opinions independently predicted hesitancy scale scores. Gender, education, job classification and BMI independently predicted acceptance, hesitancy, and refusal groups. Among hesitant employees, uncertainty was reflected in reports of motivating factors influencing their indecision. Despite a strong employee-support environment and job protection, respondents reported physical and mental health effects. The appreciation of varied reasons for refusing vaccination should lead to culturally sensitive interventions to increase vaccination rates amongst healthcare workers.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; determinants; healthcare workers; nurses; pandemic; physicians; vaccine acceptance; vaccine hesitancy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Influences of Decision for COVID-19 Vaccination with Average Score on Likert Scale for Each Response, by Group.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Reported effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on employment, income, health and normal activities, by group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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