Hesitancy towards COVID-19 Vaccines: An Analytical Cross–Sectional Study

Abdelkarim Aloweidi, Isam Bsisu, Aiman Suleiman, Sami Abu-Halaweh, Mahmoud Almustafa, Mohammad Aqel, Aous Amro, Neveen Radwan, Dima Assaf, Malak Ziyad Abdullah, Malak Albataineh, Aya Mahasneh, Ala’a Badaineh and Hala Obeidat
Additional contact information
Abdelkarim Aloweidi: Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
Isam Bsisu: Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
Aiman Suleiman: Anesthesia and Intensive Care Department, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
Sami Abu-Halaweh: Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
Mahmoud Almustafa: Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
Mohammad Aqel: Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
Aous Amro: Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
Neveen Radwan: Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
Dima Assaf: Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
Malak Ziyad Abdullah: Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
Malak Albataineh: Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
Aya Mahasneh: Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
Ala’a Badaineh: Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Prince Hamza Hospital, Amman 11947, Jordan
Hala Obeidat: Maternal and Child Health Nursing Department, School of Nursing, Mutah University, Karak 61710, Jordan

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 10, 1-12

Abstract: Vaccination is the most promising strategy to counter the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Vaccine hesitancy is a serious global phenomenon, and therefore the aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore the effect of educational background, work field, and social media on attitudes towards vaccination in Jordan. We compared between medical personnel who were in direct contact with patients and non-medical individuals at Jordan University Hospital in terms of demographics, knowledge about COVID-19 vaccines, rumors received via social media, their trust in these vaccines, and the encouraging factors for vaccination. 646 individuals were enrolled in this study, of which 287 (44.4%) were from medical field, and 359 (55.6%) from non-medical field. 226 (35%) were planning to take the vaccine once available, with a positive response from 131 (45.6%) medical field workers, compared to 94 (26.2%) non-medical individuals ( p < 0.001). The social media rumor that was believed the most was the unsafety of these vaccines ( n = 283; 43.8%). Only 163 (56.8%) of medical persons did not believe any of the circulated rumors, compared to 126 (35.1%) of non-medical persons ( p < 0.001). The effect of medical personnel advice (OR = 0.83; 95% CI = 0.70 to 0.98; p = 0.026) and social media (OR = 1.21; 95% CI = 1.04 to 1.41; p = 0.012) were significantly associated with the willingness to take COVID-19 vaccine once available. In conclusion, medical personnel and social media play a crucial role in increasing the society’s inclination towards vaccination by providing the community with updated evidence-based information about COVID-19 vaccines as an efficient medical countermeasure and by correcting the previously spread misinformation.

Keywords: COVID-19; vaccine; social media (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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