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Review
. 2023 Mar 5;8(3):159.
doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed8030159.

Why Some People Are Hesitant to Receive COVID-19 Boosters: A Systematic Review

Yam B Limbu  1 , Bruce A Huhmann  2
Affiliations
Review

Why Some People Are Hesitant to Receive COVID-19 Boosters: A Systematic Review

Yam B Limbu et al. Trop Med Infect Dis. .

Abstract

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues and transitions to an endemic stage, booster vaccines will play an important role in personal and public health. However, convincing people to take boosters continues to be a key obstacle. This study systematically analyzed research that examined the predictors of COVID-19 booster vaccine hesitancy. A search of PubMed, Medline, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Scopus uncovered 42 eligible studies. Globally, the average COVID-19 booster vaccination hesitancy rate was 30.72%. Thirteen key factors influencing booster hesitancy emerged from the literature: demographics (gender, age, education, income, occupation, employment status, ethnicity, and marital status), geographical influences (country, region, and residency), adverse events, perceived benefit/efficacy, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, prior history of COVID-19 infection, vaccination status, vaccination recommendations, health status, knowledge and information, skepticism/distrust/conspiracy theories, and vaccine type. Vaccine communication campaigns and interventions for COVID boosters should focus on factors influencing booster confidence, complacency, and convenience.

Keywords: COVID-19; booster; systematic review; vaccine hesitancy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram showing search strategy.
Figure 2
Figure 2
COVID-19 booster vaccine hesitancy (CBVH) rate by study population and geographical region compared to the average CBVH rate of 30.7% across all included studies.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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