COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy among Iraqi general population between beliefs and barriers: An observational study

Abstract

Background: Vaccine apprehension poses a serious threat to global health. While there has been a tremendous global effort to create a vaccine against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), little is known about its reception in Iraq. Therefore, we sought to examine COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, hesitation, and related elements in the Iraqi population. Methods: Between the 19th of May and the 22nd of September 2021, a descriptive, cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted employing a quantitative approach. Respondents from both sexes aged 18 years and above who live in Iraq and agreed to participate were included. An anonymized online structured questionnaire was designed based on data from prior research on vaccine hesitation in general, and COVID-19 vaccination reluctance specifically. Results: A total of 1221 eligible participants from various regions in Iraq actively participated in the short web-based questionnaire. The overall acceptance rate of the COVID-19 vaccine was 56.2%, with a greater acceptance rate among younger male participants (p<0.05). Marital status had no significant association (p=0.834). Urbanization influenced the acceptance rate significantly (p=0.002). The barriers to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine were exemplified by the vaccine not being evaluated for a sufficient period in 51.4% of the responses, as well as concerns about future side effects in 76.6% of the responses and a lack of efficacy in 55.7% of the responses. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine received 39.6% preference and participants confidence, followed by the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine at 18.1% and the Sinopharm vaccine at 14.6%. Conclusions: COVID-19 vaccination apprehension was discovered in almost half of the study population. Lack of understanding about vaccination eligibility, anxiety about adverse events and vaccine efficacy, and distrust in the government were independently predictive of vaccine hesitation.

Prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in students: A global systematic review

“…This study acts as scientific evidence for initiating further predictive studies of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy among students by examining the association between vaccine acceptance and other explanatory variables. Since educational contents aimed to improve infectious disease awareness among students would be beneficial, 92 hence the advancement of effective health education in a multi-disciplinary approach would be imperative to emphasize personal relevance of the disease and to improve vaccine related knowledge among the students. The authors believe that, the study findings largely benefits the health policy makers, stakeholders, and the vaccine promoters in different parts of the world to design an evidence-based vaccine promotion strategy seeking to influence the vaccination policy implication in pandemic and post pandemic era.…”

Willingness to Accept the COVID-19 Vaccine and Related Factors among Indian Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Table S1: Strobe Statement for the study, Table S2: Studies conducted on the general population of other LMICs testing vaccine acceptance and related factors. References [ 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 ] are cited in the supplementary materials.…”

Serum levels of α1-antitrypsin, interleukin-1β and interleukin-6 in Iraqi COVID-19 patients: A cross-sectional study

“…[1][2][3][4] The virus was later termed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). [5][6][7] The World Health Organization (WHO) termed the illness coronavirus disease 2019 . The illness has spread internationally, and WHO designated it a pandemic on March 11, 2020.…”