Factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among healthcare workers in Cameroon and Nigeria: a web-based cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: Vaccination against COVID-19 is an effective strategy to curb the burden of COVID-19, but vaccine acceptance and uptake among African healthcare workers (HCWs) remain low. This study investigated the determinants of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among HCWs in Cameroon and Nigeria. Methods: We conducted an analytic cross-sectional study from May to June 2021, including consenting HCWs > 18 years identified using snowball sampling. Vaccine hesitancy was defined as indecisiveness or unwillingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Multilevel logistic regression yielded adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for vaccine hesitancy. Results: We included a total of 598 (~60% women) participants. Vaccine hesitancy was estimated at 56.9% and 42.4% in Cameroon and Nigeria. Little or no trust in the approved COVID-19 vaccines (aOR= 2.28, 95% CI=1.24-4.20), lower perception of the importance of the vaccine on their personal health (5.26, 2.38-11.6), greater concerns about vaccine-related adverse effects (3.45, 1.83-6.47), and uncertainty about colleagues’ acceptability of the vaccine (2.98, 1.62-5.48) were associated with higher odds of vaccine hesitancy. In addition, participants with chronic disease (aOR= 0.34, 95% CI=0.12-0.97) and higher levels of concerns about getting COVID-19 (0.40, 0.18-0.87) were less likely to be hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Conclusion: COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among HCWs in this study was high and was determined, broadly, by the perceived risk of COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines on personal health, mistrust in COVID-19 vaccines, and uncertainty about colleagues’ vaccine acceptability. Targeted interventions addressing these concerns are warranted to improve COVID-19 uptake among HCWs in these settings.

Translation and trans-cultural adaptation to the Malay version of the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy questionnaire among healthcare workers in Malaysia

“…The sampling method is not random, has fewer participants from the lowest and the highest education levels, and more participation from a certain state, hence may not be representative of the Malaysian population; nevertheless, the instrument uses the standard language that can be understood across the socioeconomic status, and ethnic and cultural background in the country. The sampling method is an acceptable data collection process and has been used in earlier studies [31,32]; it has the advantage of reaching a wider sampling frame, rapid distribution, and lowering the cost of study but limited by the response rate. The test and re-test reliability was not conducted because the data collection did not record the personal information for re-administering the questionnaire; despite the lack of evidence for consistency over time, the instrument showed good internal consistency.…”