COVID-19 vaccination of at-risk and marginalised groups: recentering the state in vaccine uptake

Katie Attwell, Jake Turvey and Lisa Wood

Social Science & Medicine, 2024, vol. 348, issue C

Abstract: Recent studies have used the World Health Organization's new Behavioural and Social Drivers (BeSD) framework to analyse vaccine uptake. However, this study of COVID-19 vaccination among marginalised population groups highlights the framework's limitations regarding the centrality of the state in shaping people's vaccination intentions in high income countries. We conducted interviews and focus groups with service providers and community members to explore COVID-19 vaccination amongst Western Australians experiencing homelessness and/or from other marginalised populations (such as people with substance use dependence). Analysing this data iteratively to emphasise the state's role and functions, we elaborate how trauma and mistrust of government drive thoughts, feelings, and social interactions regarding vaccination programs, which are mutually reinforcing and which inhibit individuals' willingness to engage. Government systems that leave some populations behind increase those populations' susceptibility to misinformation. Policies may generate new unintended problems: social service providers worried about vaccine advocacy damaging clients' trust, especially in the context of vaccine mandates. Reframing the state's responsibility for designing culturally and socially appropriate services, we outline how end-users and trusted providers can lead this process. We share a new framework, “Recentering the State in Vaccine Uptake,” arising from our analyses.

Keywords: Vaccination; COVID-19; Marginalised groups; Homelessness; World Health Organization; Government; Policy; BeSD (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953624002569
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:socmed:v:348:y:2024:i:c:s0277953624002569

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/supportfaq.cws_home/regional
http://www.elsevier. ... _01_ooc_1&version=01

DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116812

Access Statistics for this article

Social Science & Medicine is currently edited by Ichiro (I.) Kawachi and S.V. (S.V.) Subramanian

More articles in Social Science & Medicine from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().