Mask usage, social distancing, racial, and gender correlates of COVID-19 vaccine intentions among adults in the US.

Carl A Latkin,Grace Yi,Lauren Dayton,Xiangrong Kong,Brian Colon,Marlene Camacho-Rivera

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0246970

Carl A Latkin, Grace Yi + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0246970

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Journal: PloS one	Publication Date: Feb 16, 2021
Citations: 179	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Abstract

Vaccine hesitancy could become a significant impediment to addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study examined the prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and factors associated with vaccine intentions. A national panel survey by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) was designed to be representative of the US household population. Sampled respondents were invited to complete the survey between May 14 and 18, 2020 in English or Spanish. 1,056 respondents completed the survey-942 via the web and 114 via telephone. The dependent variable was assessed by the item "If a vaccine against the coronavirus becomes available, do you plan to get vaccinated, or not?" Approximately half (53.6%) reported intending to be vaccinated, 16.7% did not intend, and 29.7% were unsure. In the adjusted stepwise multinominal logistic regression, Black and Hispanic respondents were significantly less likely to report intending to be vaccinated as were respondents who were females, younger, and those who were more politically conservative. Compared to those who reported positive vaccine intentions, respondents with negative vaccine intentions were significantly less likely to report that they engaged in the COVID-19 prevention behaviors of wearing masks (aOR = 0.53, CI = 0.37-0.76) and social distancing (aOR = 0.22, CI = 0.12-0.42). In a sub-analysis of reasons not to be vaccinated, significant race/ethnic differences were observed. This national survey indicated a modest level of COVID-19 vaccine intention. These data suggest that public health campaigns for vaccine uptake should assess in greater detail the vaccine concerns of Blacks, Hispanics, and women to tailor programs.

Highlights

The death toll of COVID-19 cases and failed pandemic preparedness and response policies in the United States highlight the importance of an effective vaccine to halt the spread of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) [1]
In the current study, we examined whether the prevention behaviors of mask usage, social distancing, handwashing, and stocking up on food/supplies were associated with COVID-19 vaccine intentions as a positive association could both help guide the development of interventions to improve COVID-19 vaccine uptake as well as predict individuals and potentially geographic regions to target based on current levels of COVID-19 prevention behaviors
Individuals who responded, “no, I will not get a coronavirus vaccine,” were asked, “Which of the following are reasons you would not get a coronavirus vaccine?” Respondents could select multiple reasons and response options included “I am allergic to vaccines,” “I don’t like needles,” “I’m not concerned about getting seriously ill from the coronavirus,” “I won’t have time to get vaccinated,” “I would be concerned about getting infected with the coronavirus from the vaccine,” “I would be concerned about side effects from the vaccine,” “I don’t think vaccines work very well,” and “the coronavirus outbreak is not as serious as some people say it is.”

Summary

Introduction

The death toll of COVID-19 cases and failed pandemic preparedness and response policies in the United States highlight the importance of an effective vaccine to halt the spread of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) [1].

Methods

Results

Conclusion