Factors that Influence the Decision to Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19

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Factors that In?uence the Decision to Get Vaccinated Against Factors that In?uence the Decision to Get Vaccinated Against

COVID-19 COVID-19

Rhea Bhargava

Rowan University

Meghan H. Foos

Rowan University

Brandy M. Gotti

Rowan University

Alexandra L. Mulvenna

Rowan University

Taylor O. Smith

Rowan University

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Bhargava, Rhea; Foos, Meghan H.; Gotti, Brandy M.; Mulvenna, Alexandra L.; Smith, Taylor O.; Cooley,

Danielle; and Venkataman, Venkateswar, "Factors that In?uence the Decision to Get Vaccinated Against

COVID-19" (2023).

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

. 170.

https://rdw.rowan.edu/stratford_research_day/2023/may4/170

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AUTHORS

Rhea Bhargava, Meghan H. Foos, Brandy M. Gotti,

Alexandra L. Mulvenna, Taylor O. Smith, Danielle

Cooley, D.O., Venkateswar Venkataraman, M.S Ph. D

AFFILIATIONS

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine,

Department of Family Medicine

Results

Gender, education, and ethnicity: significant contributing factors in determining

willingness to receive the vaccine

Income, age, and future verification requirements: not significant contributing factors

Participants who indicated they desired the vaccine initially were stratified into gender,

education, ethnicity, age, income, and future vaccination verification requirements.

Factors that Influence the

Decision to Get Vaccinated

Against COVID-19

Objective: To identify factors that do and do not influence the decision to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Introduction

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the launch of

the vaccine, healthcare workers have been encouraging

people to get vaccinated to prevent the spread of the virus.

However, there is a significant number of people who are

vaccine hesitant, or uncertain about receiving the COVID-19

vaccine and its booster. Vaccine hesitancy represents a

state of opportunity to make positive change; therefore, it is

crucial for healthcare workers to identify those who are in

this population. When factors contributing to the vaccine

hesitancy, including gender, age, ethnicity, education level,

and income were studied, it was found that women, those

with less education, and African-Americans were more likely

to initially decline the vaccine.

Methodology

Analyzed accessibility of initial COVID-19 vaccinations

Data was collected anonymously from participants at a

vaccination clinic using Qualtrics.

Survey: Multiple-choice and sliding scale questions,

covering demographics, risk factors, appointment

scheduling, transportation, and attitudes toward

vaccination.

The study was conducted from April- June 2021 with the

approval of the IRB.

Discussion

Gender: women were initially less likely to desire vaccination-- possible link between

the vaccine and infertility as well as menstruation irregularities.

Education: lower levels of education were more likely to initially decline the vaccine--

lack of information about the vaccine process

Ethnicity: There was a significant difference amongst the initial desire of African

American individuals-- Tuskegee trials versus unequal distribution of African

American individuals represented in this study

Age: not statistically significant-- most of the elderly population had been vaccinated

in an earlier rollout

Income: not statistically significant

Conclusion

This study investigated numerous factors that

contribute to vaccine hesitancy to try to further

understand how people approach the COVID-19

vaccine and potentially guide the medical

community in future vaccination efforts. Many

factors to vaccine hesitancy were elucidated,

warranting further research on a larger scale,

particularly in the areas of gender and

education. One potential target in future

vaccination efforts is promoting accessible,

reliable information to all, as misinformation

and uncertainty can breed hesitancy towards

vaccination efforts.

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65% of Participants Initially Desired the Vaccine: