What Demographic, Social, and Contextual Factors Influence the Intention to Use COVID-19 Vaccines: A Scoping Review

Bara’ Abdallah AlShurman, Amber Fozia Khan, Christina Mac, Meerab Majeed and Zahid Ahmad Butt
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Bara’ Abdallah AlShurman: School of Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Amber Fozia Khan: School of Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Christina Mac: School of Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Meerab Majeed: Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8N 3Z5, Canada
Zahid Ahmad Butt: School of Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 17, 1-43

Abstract: Background: During the COVID-19 crisis, an apparent growth in vaccine hesitancy has been noticed due to different factors and reasons. Therefore, this scoping review was performed to determine the prevalence of intention to use COVID-19 vaccines among adults aged 18–60, and to identify the demographic, social, and contextual factors that influence the intention to use COVID-19 vaccines. Methods: This scoping review was conducted by using the methodological framework for scoping review outlined by Arksey and O’Malley. A search strategy was carried out on four electronic databases: PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and PsycINFO. All peer-reviewed articles published between November 2019 and December 2020 were reviewed. Data were extracted to identify the prevalence of, and factors that influence, the intention to use COVID-19 vaccines. Results: A total of 48 relevant articles were identified for inclusion in the review. Outcomes presented fell into seven themes: demographics, social factors, vaccination beliefs and attitudes, vaccine-related perceptions, health-related perceptions, perceived barriers, and vaccine recommendations. Age, gender, education level, race/ethnicity, vaccine safety and effectiveness, influenza vaccination history, and self-protection from COVID-19 were the most prominent factors associated with intention to use COVID-19 vaccines. Furthermore, the majority of studies ( n = 34/48) reported a relatively high prevalence of intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19, with a range from 60% to 93%. Conclusion: This scoping review enables the creation of demographic, social, and contextual constructs associated with intention to vaccinate among the adult population. These factors are likely to play a major role in any targeted vaccination programs, particularly COVID-19 vaccination. Thus, our review suggests focusing on the development of strategies to promote the intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and to overcome vaccine hesitancy and refusal. These strategies could include transparent communication, social media engagement, and the initiation of education programs.

Keywords: COVID-19; vaccine hesitancy; vaccine acceptance; determinants; vaccine intention; adults (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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