Psychosocial Predictors for the Intention of Brazilian Elderly in Receiving the Vaccine Against Covid-19

Abstract

Once the immunizers are already available in the COVID-19 Pandemic, there is a need to identify the psychosocial factors that increase the positive attitude towards vaccines, particularly among the elderly. We investigated the role of psychosocial variables, which could affect the attitude towards the vaccines. Factors such as: uncertainty in relation to the vaccine, fear of COVID-19, political orientation, precisely the intention among the Brazilian elderly (>60 years, n = 328) to be vaccinated. There was a more positive intention towards Oxford-AstraZeneca in relation to Sinovac-CoronaVac. For the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, less uncertainty regarding vaccines and greater fear of COVID-19 led the study to predict 26.6% of the intention to use it. In the case of Sinovac-CoronaVac, in addition to the previous variables, a left-wing political orientation led to a prediction of 44.3% in the intention to use it. It was also highlighted the importance of reducing uncertainty about vaccines in public campaigns to achieve older adults' mass vaccination.