Characterization of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Essential Workforce Members of a Large Safety Net Urban Medical Center

• Main Authors: Deborah Kupferwasser (Author), Evelyn A. Flores (Author), Prudencio Merino (Author), Donna Phan Tran (Author), Michael Bolaris (Author), Mildred Gonzales (Author), Megan H. Nguyen (Author), Arlene Balo (Author), Angel Abueg (Author), Wellington Da Silva (Author), Leslie Astorga-Cook (Author), Honghu Liu (Author), Holli Mason (Author), Deborah Freund (Author), Judi Nightingale (Author), Jay Orr (Author), Bin Xie (Author), Loren G. Miller (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: SAGE Publishing, 2023-03-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

Objectives: Vaccine hesitancy among essential workers remains a significant public health challenge. We examined psychological constructs of perceived susceptibility, threat, and self-efficacy and their associations with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among a racially and ethnically diverse essential workforce population. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional survey of essential workers from September-December 2020 at a large Los Angeles safety-net medical center as part of a program offering free COVID-19 serology testing. Program participants completed a standardized survey at the time of phlebotomy. Hierarchical logistic regression was utilized to determine factors independently associated with vaccine hesitancy. Results: Among 1327 persons who had serology testing, 1235 (93%) completed the survey. Of these, 958 (78%) were healthcare workers. Based on expressed intent, 22% were vaccine-hesitant 78% were vaccine acceptors. In our multivariate model, vaccine hesitancy was associated with female gender [aOR = 2.09; 95% CI (1.44-3.05)], African American race [aOR = 4.32; (2.16-8.62)], LatinX ethnicity [aOR = 2.47; 95% CI (1.51-4.05)] and history of not/sometimes receiving influenza vaccination [aOR = 4.39; 95% CI (2.98-6.48)]. Compared to nurses, vaccine hesitancy was lower among physicians [aOR = 0.09; 95% CI (0.04-0.23)], non-nursing/non-physician healthcare workers [aOR = 0.55; 95% CI (0.33-0.92)], and non-healthcare care workers [aOR = 0.53; 95% CI (0.36-0.78)]. Conclusions: Among a racially/ethnically diverse group of safety net medical center essential workers, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was associated with racial/ethnic minority groups, employment type, and prior influenza vaccination hesitancy. Interestingly, we found no association with the Health Belief Model construct measures of perceived susceptibility, threat, and self-efficacy. Psychological constructs not assessed may be drivers of vaccine hesitancy in our population.

Item Description

2150-1327
10.1177/21501319231159814