Older adolescents and young adults willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine: Implications for informing public health strategies

Abstract

Importance The success in ending the COVID-19 pandemic rests partly on the mass uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine. Little work has been done to understand vaccine willingness among older adolescents and young adults. This is important since this age group may be less likely to adhere to public health guidelines. Objective To understand willingness of getting a vaccine and reasons for vaccine hesitancy among a sample of older adolescents and young adults. Design Data were from the Well-Being and Experiences study (The WE Study), a longitudinal community-based sample of older adolescents and young adults collected from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada from 2017 to 2020 (n = 664). Setting The study setting was a community-based observational longitudinal study. Participants Participants for the study were aged 14 to 17 years old at baseline in 2016-17 (n = 1000). Data were also collected on one parent/caregiver. Waves 2 (n = 747) and 3 (n = 664) were collected in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Exposures The main exposures were sociodemographic factors, health conditions, COVID-19 knowledge, and adversity history. Main Outcomes The main outcomes were COVID-19 vaccine willingness, hesitancy, and reasons for hesitancy. Results Willingness to get a COVID-19 vaccine was 65.4%. Willingness did not differ by age, sex, or mental health conditions, but did differ for other sociodemographic characteristics, physical health conditions, COVID-19 knowledge, practicing social/physical distancing, and adversity history. The most common reasons for not wanting a vaccine were related to safety, knowledge, and effectiveness. Sex differences were noted. Conclusions and Relevance Increasing uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine among older adolescents and young adults may rely on targeting individuals from households with lower income, financial burden, and adversity history, and generating public health messaging specifically aimed at vaccine safety, how it works to protect against infection, and why it is important to protect oneself against a COVID-19 infection.

Attitudes, acceptance and hesitancy among the general population worldwide to receive the COVID-19 vaccines and their contributing factors: A systematic review

“…Data from cross-sectional studies conducted in Canada points to the difference in vaccination intentions between age groups, where elderly participants showed to be more likely to accept the future vaccine [79] Younger participants expressed lower willingness (acceptance rate 65%) [80] , while the majority of surveyed healthcare workers replied affirmative towards vaccination (around 80%) [81] .…”

“…Themes identified to contribute to high hesitancy were most prominently associated with certain socio-demographic variables. Such variables included income (e.g., being low-income population), age (e.g., younger patients were more hesitant, partially as they perceived being at lower risk compared to elders [ 69 , 74 , 79 , 80 , 96 , 149 ]), education (e.g., having a lower education degree [ 69 , 71 , 96 , 97 , 101 , 102 , 146 , 148 , 150 , 152 ]), area of residence (e.g., those in rural areas were more hesitant [ 69 , 101 , 149 ]), reported race and/or ethnicity (e.g., those who identified as minorities [ 38 , [69] , [70] , [71] , 75 , 77 , 78 , 103 , 149 , 151 ]). Interestingly, studies that included specific populations (such as patients with different health conditions) generally observed a lower intention to vaccinate among them compared with the general population.…”

To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate—This Is the Question among Swiss University Students

“…To date, little is known on Swiss students' attitudes towards vaccination in general and specifically regarding COVID-19, nor about differences across faculties and professions. Understanding the factors related to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and willingness in university students is critical for evidence-based public health communication and efforts to increase vaccination rates [12]. The HEalth in Students during the Corona pandemic (HES-C) study [13] provided the opportunity to investigate vaccine willingness, hesitancy, and predictors in this under-investigated age group.…”

COVID-19 Vaccination acceptance in the canton of Geneva: A Cross-Sectional Population-Based Study

“…3 Positive COVID-19 status was defined as being either seropositive or having declared a positive PCR or antigenic test for SARS-CoV-2 in one of monthly surveys. 4 Data obtained from monthly questionnaires sent to participants (N=2'971)…”

“…In addition to manufacturing and logistical challenges, vaccination campaigns worldwide have been challenged by diffuse distrust of the population regarding the safety and efficacy of these novel vaccines. [2][3][4][5][6] Vaccine hesitancy fueled by misinformation campaigns has often been a threat to sufficient vaccine coverage over past decades, sometimes leading to resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases. [7][8][9] This has led the World Health Organization to recognize vaccine hesitancy as a major threat to global health in 2019.…”