Motivators and barriers to COVID-19 vaccination of healthcare workers in Latvia

Abstract

This study aims to identify motivators and barriers regarding Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination among Latvian healthcare workers (HCWs). Data were collected from March to May 2021 using an online survey. Overall, 1,444 participants took part in the study. From this pool of respondents, 528 indicated motivating factors in favor of the COVID-19 vaccination (86.5% were women; aged between 20 and 75 years), while 198 mentioned barriers against the COVID-19 vaccination (92.9% were women; aged between 19 and 68 years). The thematic analysis was conducted on two open-ended questions. The main motivators reported for COVID-19 vaccination were belief in the effectiveness of the vaccine, benefits of easing COVID-19 restrictions, responsibility, and restriction or pressure in case of non-vaccination. The main barriers reported regarding the COVID-19 vaccination were concerns about the effectiveness and safety of vaccines, perceived health risks of vaccination, risk perception toward COVID-19, misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, belief that vaccination is being imposed, and belief in the conspiracy theories surrounding COVID-19. The results of this study help identify the existing motivating and hindering factors for COVID-19 vaccination among HCWs in Latvia. These results can be used to promote vaccination in HCW, develop information campaigns, and alleviate concerns of HCW.

Afraid but misinformed: Conspiracist beliefs cancel the positive influence of fear of COVID-19 on vaccination intentions - Findings from a Romanian sample

“…Although the disease provoked by the new coronavirus is potentially health damaging and even deadly, our findings indicate that the fear generated by these risks fosters the intention to vaccinate only in people who have low adherence to conspiracy theories. The positive influence of fear of COVID-19, associated with the high risk of contracting this disease and to its severity, on vaccination intentions and attitudes has previously found when this factor was analyzed independently (e.g., Bendau et al, 2021 ; Chu and Liu, 2021 ; Lielsvagere-Endele et al, 2022 ; Nguyen et al, 2022 ; Rosli et al, 2022 ). However, our study suggests that conspiracist beliefs on this topic moderate this effect by limiting and even canceling it.…”

Relationship Between Attitude Towards Vaccination Against COVID-19 and Socialdemographic, Health-Related and Psychological Parameters Among Unvaccinated Hospital Employees in Latvia

“…Although the correlation between sex and attitude towards COVID-19 vaccination is strongly related in most cases, the possible explanations are still unclear. According to our full research version, open-ended questions suggest that women's arguments regarding vaccination, unlike men, were related to the possible effect on pregnancy and reproductive health, belief in natural protective capabilities, and the belief that vaccination is being imposed (Lielðvâgere-Endele et al, 2021). Age, education level, and direct COVID-19 patient care did not have any relevance in our data.…”

“…This study used the self-developed survey "Healthcare workers`attitude towards COVID-19 vaccination" (Lielðvâgere-Endele et al, 2021). The survey consisted of sociodemographic data, health related variables, and components of psychological parameters.…”

Investigating Beliefs in Anti-Vax Conspiracy Theories among Medical Students

“…The emergence of various conspiracy theories during the pandemic raises concerns, particularly due to documented evidence indicating their negative impact on vaccination intentions [43,[73][74][75], even among healthcare workers [31][32][33]36,37]. Mistrust in medical information was also a factor influencing this state of affairs, as indicated [76].…”

“…Although it is often suggested that people who support anti-vaccine conspiracy theories tend to be less educated and wealthy, religious, right-wing, and members of minority groups, their supporters come from across the social and political spectrums [29,30]. Moreover, while COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy especially is prevalent among the general public, research suggests that it is also high among healthcare workers and medical and healthcare students [31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42]. The issue is of crucial importance because while healthcare workers' attitudes may enhance the public's willingness to vaccinate, if doctors exhibit insufficient knowledge or express vaccine hesitancy and do not educate their patients about vaccine recommendation and evidence-based information on its benefits for individual and public health, or even spread suspicions towards vaccines, they may hinder health policy aiming at fighting infectious diseases which are currently on the rise, including future epidemics, especially since people who believe in anti-vaccine conspiracy theories turn to the Internet and are less likely to rely on family physicians and follow recommended prevention strategies, such as practicing hand hygiene, wearing masks, keeping social distance, and getting tested and vaccinated [43][44][45].…”