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False Beliefs and Attitude Are Barriers to COVID-19 Vaccination

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 May 2023

Donald E. Brannen Open the ORCID record for Donald E. Brannen [Opens in a new window] ,
Melissa Howell ,
Faryaal Zindani  and
Allyson Halderman
Donald E. Brannen*
Affiliation:
Greene County Public Health, Xenia, Ohio, USA
Melissa Howell
Affiliation:
Greene County Public Health, Xenia, Ohio, USA
Faryaal Zindani
Affiliation:
Xavier University and The Health Collaborative, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Allyson Halderman
Affiliation:
Kettering Health, Kettering, Ohio, USA
*
Corresponding author: Donald E. Brannen; Email: dbrannen@gcph.info.
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Abstract

As of October 2021, Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) volunteers donated over 2 million h to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The Health Belief Model (HBM) is used to understand the value a person places on preventative behavior against the risk of disease. A mixed method, unmatched, prospective case-control study was conducted regarding volunteers’ experience during the pandemic, reasons why these highly trained persons volunteer, what barriers to vaccination they observed, and how they helped others overcome those barriers. The HBM can elucidate the cognitive process to vaccinate. Regression analysis found a person’s attitude (which includes beliefs, peer pressure, preconceptions, unwillingness, and other indicators) is a barrier to vaccination. Service hours increased from 20 to 56 h among volunteers who saw attitude as a barrier to vaccination. Superstition and fear accounted for 99.8% of unvaccinated persons (P < 0.001). Fear was a barrier to protective health behavior. The public health system must do better to build trust as an ongoing endeavor, as even the increased service volunteers provided in response to the observed attitudes, was not enough to stem exponential transmission once the pandemic had begun. Policy-makers and the public health authority should take all necessary steps early in the pandemic to ensure the effectiveness of the vaccination program.

Keywords

Medical Reserve Corpsvaccine administrationsuperstitionhealth equity
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 17 , 2023 , e398
Creative Commons
This is a work of the US Government and is not subject to copyright protection within the United States. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.
Copyright
© Greene County Combined Health District, 2023

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