Assessment of COVID-19 vaccines acceptance in the Lebanese population: a national cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Vaccines have become the best weapon for epidemic prevention and control in the absence of standard approved effective therapies. However, skepticism about the vaccine efficacy and safety is constantly reported. To our knowledge, there has been no study assessing COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in Lebanon. The primary objective of this survey is to assess the COVID-19 vaccines’ acceptance and its related determinants in the Lebanese population. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in Lebanon from February 16 through February 25, 2021. Data was collected using an online questionnaire via social media platforms using the snowball technique. The questionnaire consisted of 47 questions related to sociodemographic and medical history, COVID-19 experience, knowledge, practice, and beliefs towards COVID-19 vaccines, including vaccines acceptance. Binary logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with vaccine acceptance. Results A total of 1209 questionnaires were completed; around 63.4% have reported their acceptance for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, while only 57% of participants registered themselves on the national platform. The multivariable analysis showed that a higher knowledge scale, living in an urban residential area, having hypertension, not having a food allergy, reporting a higher fear to experience COVID-19 infection, and receiving or wanting to receive influenza vaccine, were positive predictors of COVID-19 vaccines acceptance. Conclusions Our findings support the need to improve knowledge about COVID-19 infection and vaccination through education and awareness programs. Specifically residents of rural areas should be targeted to optimize COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among the Lebanese population.

Assessment of acceptance, concerns and side effects towards COVID-19 vaccination among the community: A cross-sectional study from Baghdad, Iraq

“… 16 Previous studies assessing acceptance towards vaccines revealed huge regional variability. The findings of our study were higher than that reported in a cross-sectional study conducted in Lebanon by Hanna et al, 17 which found that 63.4% of the Lebanese population accepted to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Our findings were also higher than earlier studies conducted in the UK (71.7%), 18 the USA (69%), 19 Japan (65.7%), 20 and Saudi Arabia (64.7%), 21 but lower than the acceptance rate toward vaccination in China (88.6%).…”

Evaluation of COVID-19 Vaccine Refusal among AOU Students in Kuwait and their Families and their Expected Inclination Towards the Acceptance or Refusal of the Vaccine

“…Almost 61.9% of the participants who had previously been infected with COVID-19 accepted the vaccine, while 20.3% refused. The acceptance rate in this the study was compatible with other results reported by different studies such as that in Lebanon (63.4%) [30] compared to a lower rate reported in Kuwait (53.1%) [10]. The results of this study are also compatible with similar studies conducted in the UK (64-71.7%) [16], t US (69%) [13], and Japan (65.7%) [14].…”

Comparison of vaccine hesitancy during the low and high points of COVID-19 in a population under international sanctions: A longitudinal mixed-methods study in Iran

“…Some studies, such as our first phase study reported willingness to receive the vaccine using yes/no options, and may therefore overestimate the rate of vaccine acceptance due to incompatibility with the proposed structure of the SAGE Working Group on Vaccine Hesitancy (22). According to the results of cross-sectional studies based on the general population, in which only yes/no options were considered, the vaccine acceptance rate in Bangladesh was 79% (23), in Lebanon was 64% (24), in South Korea was 53% (25), and in Brazil was 81.4% (26); in our first phase vaccine acceptance was about 84% (14). Because the willingness to receive the vaccine is not a binary decision and a range of emotions and factors can be involved, in other studies, such as our study in Phase II, the response to the willingness to receive the vaccine was reported as "acceptance, " "definite unwillingness" and "not sure."…”