Abstract
Slum residents are more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection. Without a specific treatment, vaccination became the main strategy against COVID-19. In this study, we determined the rate and factors associated with the willingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19 among slum residents and their main reasons associated with the vaccine intention. The study was conducted in Pau da Lima, a slum community in Salvador Brazil. In total, 985 residents were interviewed. Among them 66.0% (650/985) were willing to get vaccinated, 26.1% (257/985) were hesitant to take the vaccine and 7.9% (78/285) were not sure. The main reasons cited for vaccine hesitancy or being unsure were concerns about vaccine efficacy and potential side effects. In contrast, the main reasons cited for wanting the vaccine were the high incidence of COVID-19 cases and participants’ self-perception of their own health history. Multivariate analysis identified that COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was associated with younger age and low social capital, summarized as low perceived importance of vaccination to protect one’s family, friends and community. Slum residents have been less willing to vaccinate than the general population. Social capital presents a critical opportunity in the design of communication campaigns to increase COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in slum settings.
Highlights
About 30% of the world’s population lives in slum settlements [1]
The questionnaire was divided : (A) demographic characteristics, including age, sex, ethnicity, schooling, marital status, employment, income, and comorbidities. (B) COVID-19 diagnoses and exposures, including the presence of symptoms associated with COVID-19, previous COVID-19 suspicions, COVID-19 laboratorial test results, information about household members and the COVID-19 exposure. (C) If participants received influenza vaccine in 2020. (D) attitudes related to COVID-19 risk and vaccination, including, willingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine, the main reason for vaccine acceptance or hesitancy, the risk perception, and the importance of vaccination to protect their families, friends and community
The main reasons cited for vaccine hesitancy or being unsure were concerns about vaccine efficacy and potential side effects
Summary
About 30% of the world’s population lives in slum settlements [1]. Slum residents suffer from higher rates of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and mortality than their wealthy counterparts [2]. Recent research has identified that more than 50% of residents in these communities were exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 [2,3]. COVID-19 has had a large economic impact due to rising unemployment rates, which hamper adhesion to preventive measures (such as lockdown and social distancing) [4]. Vaccination campaigns are the main strategy to decrease this COVID-19 burden. The lack of information regarding COVID-19 vaccine acceptance [5] in urban slum communities may limit the success of vaccination campaigns and impact on COVID-19 vaccination coverage
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