Broad perspectives in understanding vaccine hesitancy and vaccine confidence: an introduction to the special issue

Abstract

The World Health Organization has designated vaccine hesitancy and vaccine confidence among the most pressing issues in global health. The COVID-19 pandemic has made vaccine hesitancy and vaccine confidence particularly salient and urgent. The purpose of this special issue is to highlight a broad range of perspectives on these critical issues. We have included a total of 30 papers that address issues related to vaccine hesitancy and vaccine confidence across multiple levels of the Socio-Ecological Model. We have organized the empirical papers into the following sections: individual-level beliefs, minority health and health disparities, social media and conspiracy beliefs, and interventions. In addition to the empirical papers, three commentaries are included in this special issue.

Tackling the social marketing formative research bottleneck: comparative analysis of the complementary nature of community-generated personas and focus groups

“…The use of cultural personas may help mitigate cultural reductionism and increase the relevance of public health strategies to a diverse audience through a more accurate understanding of cultural processes, life experiences and health behaviors (Carpenter-Song et al, 2007;IOM, 2002). The high level of agreement observed in our research findings shows that one could move forward with message and intervention design based on a cultural persona, as long as the development process is community-informed and harnesses the culture-centered knowledge and perspectives from the community (Baldwin et al, 2023).…”

“…, 2007; IOM, 2002). The high level of agreement observed in our research findings shows that one could move forward with message and intervention design based on a cultural persona, as long as the development process is community-informed and harnesses the culture-centered knowledge and perspectives from the community (Baldwin et al. , 2023).…”

Vaccine hesitancy under the lens: Nigeria’s struggle against the worst diphtheria outbreak in decades

“… 1 However, the potency of vaccines in curtailing the incidence of preventable diseases such as diphtheria has been ostensibly attenuated by the phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy. 2 , 3 The term ‘vaccine hesitancy’ encapsulates a spectrum of attitudes toward vaccination, ranging from slight reluctance to absolute refusal, despite the availability of vaccination services. 2 , 3 This phenomenon is not peculiar to Nigeria but has shown to have grave implications in the face of burgeoning infectious disease outbreaks.…”

“… 2 , 3 The term ‘vaccine hesitancy’ encapsulates a spectrum of attitudes toward vaccination, ranging from slight reluctance to absolute refusal, despite the availability of vaccination services. 2 , 3 This phenomenon is not peculiar to Nigeria but has shown to have grave implications in the face of burgeoning infectious disease outbreaks. The World Health Organization (WHO) flagged vaccine hesitancy as one of the top 10 threats to global health, 4 emphasizing its potential to reverse the progress made in combating vaccine-preventable diseases.…”

Comparison of COVID-19 and Influenza-Related Outcomes in the United States during Fall-Winter 2022-2023

“…In addition, clear evidence-based recommendations and consistent messaging on vaccines are essential to increase vaccine confidence among HCPs and patients. [34][35][36] The clinical understanding of the viral mutations, at-risk population, long-term complications, and optimal vaccine schedule for COVID- The 6-month study period used in this analysis did not capture the full 2022-2023 influenza season as defined by the CDC. However, the peak influenza period is captured in this analysis, and the exclusion of the tail end of the season should not be expected to significantly change the results.…”