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. 2022 Nov 30;18(5):2050105.
doi: 10.1080/21645515.2022.2050105. Epub 2022 Apr 5.

The COVID-19 vaccine concerns scale: Development and validation of a new measure

Megan E Gregory  1   2 , Sarah R MacEwan  2 , Jonathan R Powell  3   4 , Jaclyn Volney  2 , Jordan D Kurth  3 , Eben Kenah  5 , Ashish R Panchal  2   3   4   6 , Ann Scheck McAlearney  1   2   7
Affiliations

The COVID-19 vaccine concerns scale: Development and validation of a new measure

Megan E Gregory et al. Hum Vaccin Immunother. .

Abstract

Reasons for COVID-19 hesitancy are multi-faceted and tend to differ from those for general vaccine hesitancy. We developed the COVID-19 Vaccine Concerns Scale (CVCS), a self-report measure intended to better understand individuals' concerns about COVID-19 vaccines. We validated the scale using data from a convenience sample of 2,281 emergency medical services providers, a group of professionals with high occupational COVID-19 risk. Measures included the CVCS items, an adapted Oxford COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy scale, a general vaccine hesitancy scale, demographics, and self-reported COVID-19 vaccination status. The CVCS had high internal consistency reliability (α = .89). A one-factor structure was determined by exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA and CFA), resulting in a seven-item scale. The model had good fit (X2[14] = 189.26, p < .001; CFI = .95, RMSEA = .11 [.09, .12], NNFI = .93, SRMR = .03). Moderate Pearson correlations with validated scales of general vaccine hesitancy (r = .71 , p < .001; n = 2144) and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (r = .82; p < .001; n = 2279) indicated construct validity. The CVCS predicted COVID-19 vaccination status (B = -2.21, Exp(B) = .11 [95% CI = .09, .13], Nagelkerke R2 = .55), indicating criterion-related validity. In sum, the 7-item CVCS is a reliable and valid self-report measure to examine fears and concerns about COVID-19 vaccines. The scale predicts COVID-19 vaccination status and can be used to inform efforts to reduce COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

Keywords: COVID-19; Vaccine hesitancy; scale development; scale validation; survey.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
EFA scree plot for COVID-19 vaccine concerns scale.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
CFA results from COVID-19 vaccine concerns scale.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
ROC curve for CVCS predicting COVID-19 vaccine status.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
ROC curve for CVCS and general vaccine hesitancy predicting COVID-19 vaccine status.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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