Factors associated with the intention of Syrian adult population to accept COVID19 vaccination: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background and objectives With global efforts to develop and deliver a COVID-19 vaccine rapidly, vaccine hesitancy stands as a barrier to these efforts. We aimed to estimate the proportion of Syrian adult population intending to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and, principally, to assess the demographic and attitudinal factors associated with it in order to approach suitable solutions. Methods An anonymous online questionnaire was conducted between 23rd December 2020 and 5th January 2021 in various provinces in Syria. A total of 3402 adults were sampled to reflect the population demographic factors. Attitudinal factors included Covid-19 fears, risks, and beliefs on the origin. Vaccination hesitancy and knowledge were also measured. The intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19 was the primary endpoint. Results According to their statements, 1222 participants (35.92%) will consent to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Our findings indicate that male gender, younger age, rural residence, not having children, smoking, fear about COVID-19, individual perceived severity, believing in the natural origin of the coronavirus, and high vaccination knowledge were positive predictors of embracing COVID-19 vaccine when it is available. Conclusion COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate is considerably poor across Syrian population compared to populations in developed countries. Vaccine hesitancy is closely bound to the fear of side effects and doubts about vaccine efficacy. Factors such as conspiracy beliefs and myths about the vaccine lower vaccine uptake. Thus, interventional educational campaigns are increasingly required to overcome misinformation and avert low vaccination acceptance rates.

Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in School Principals: Impacts of Gender, Well-Being, and Coronavirus-Related Health Literacy

“…The ability to detect fake news and higher health literacy was associated with a higher likelihood of a COVID-19 vaccine acceptance [ 17 ]. Conspiracy beliefs and myths about the COVID-19 vaccine affect COVID-19 vaccination [ 78 ]. Therefore, to increase the willingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19, it is suggested to improve individuals’ health literacy, and ability to detect fake news [ 17 ], by addressing the source of information [ 79 ], continuously providing reliable information, improving communication to address the root causes of mistrust, using a diverse range of policies and technologies [ 80 ], optimizing the official communication in the context of vaccine misinformation [ 81 ].…”

“…In addition, the characteristics of different vaccines potentially influenced the attitudes of the public towards vaccine acceptance [ 21 ]. People hesitated to receive a COVID-19 vaccine because of other reasons, e.g., fears of injection [ 84 ], or concerns about vaccine efficacy and fear of side effects [ 78 ]. Therefore, to increase the vaccination intentions, a simple message mentioning the vaccine efficacy is possibly influenced by context that might be helpful [ 85 ].…”

Comparison of hesitancy between COVID-19 and seasonal influenza vaccinations within the general Hungarian population: a cross-sectional study

“…While only 48.2% of the adult Hungarian population was willing to get a COVID-19 vaccination in our study, this ratio in the United States was between 56.0-68.6% [ 21 – 23 , 43 ], 56.6% in Italy [ 24 ], 57.7% in Greece [ 25 ], 65.4% in Japan [ 26 ], 66% in Turkey [ 27 ], 72.9% in Finland [ 28 ], between 76.0-77.6% in France [ 29 , 30 , 33 ], 79.8% in Canada [ 34 ] between 81 and 86% in Australia [ 31 , 32 ], 83% in the United Kingdom [ 27 ], 83.3% in Malaysia [ 35 ], and 83.8% in China [ 36 ]. However, in Middle Eastern countries the acceptance rate was lower with 21.4% in Lebanon [ 37 ], 35.9% in Syria [ 38 ], 44.7% in Saudi Arabia [ 39 ], and 46% in Egypt [ 40 ]. The differences between the countries in regard of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance could be a reflection of how much the citizens trust information from government sources, thus, clear and accurate communication is required by government agencies when dealing with this issue [ 52 ].…”

Evidence Review: COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance by Key Influencers in the MENA Region - Teachers and Healthworkers

“…Gender was strongly associated with vaccine acceptance across the region, with men more likely than women to accept a COVID-19 vaccine. 21,26,27,43,[54][55][56][57][58] Men frequently referred to the increased severity of the disease among men and its impact on their ability to generate income, which may explain the gender disparity. The only exceptions were Morocco, where 82% of women said they were willing to be vaccinated and Lebanon, where the sexes were almost evenly split.…”

“…The vaccine roll-out dates, priority groups and percentage of people in the general population vaccinated against COVID-19 as of September 2021 in the MENA region are summarized in Table 1. 67 unless otherwise specified or unless than two data set were available for the country: Zein et al, 68 Elhadi et al, 62 Kacimi et al, 56 and Mohamad et al 57…”