Mask usage, social distancing, racial, and gender correlates of COVID-19 vaccine intentions among adults in the US

Vaccine hesitancy could become a significant impediment to addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study examined the prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and factors associated with vaccine intentions. A national panel survey by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) was designed to be representative of the US household population. Sampled respondents were invited to complete the survey between May 14 and 18, 2020 in English or Spanish. 1,056 respondents completed the survey—942 via the web and 114 via telephone. The dependent variable was assessed by the item “If a vaccine against the coronavirus becomes available, do you plan to get vaccinated, or not?” Approximately half (53.6%) reported intending to be vaccinated, 16.7% did not intend, and 29.7% were unsure. In the adjusted stepwise multinominal logistic regression, Black and Hispanic respondents were significantly less likely to report intending to be vaccinated as were respondents who were females, younger, and those who were more politically conservative. Compared to those who reported positive vaccine intentions, respondents with negative vaccine intentions were significantly less likely to report that they engaged in the COVID-19 prevention behaviors of wearing masks (aOR = 0.53, CI = 0.37–0.76) and social distancing (aOR = 0.22, CI = 0.12–0.42). In a sub-analysis of reasons not to be vaccinated, significant race/ethnic differences were observed. This national survey indicated a modest level of COVID-19 vaccine intention. These data suggest that public health campaigns for vaccine uptake should assess in greater detail the vaccine concerns of Blacks, Hispanics, and women to tailor programs.

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Was the First Public Health Campaign Successful?

American Economic Journal Applied Economics ◽

10.1257/app.20170411 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 143-175 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

D. Mark Anderson ◽

Kerwin Kofi Charles ◽

Claudio Las Heras Olivares ◽

Daniel I. Rees

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Mortality Data ◽

Local Health ◽

Health Campaigns ◽

Public Health Campaign ◽

Health Campaign ◽

Health Measures ◽

The Us ◽

Public Health Campaigns ◽

Municipal Level

The US tuberculosis (TB) movement pioneered many of the strategies of modern public health campaigns. Using newly transcribed mortality data at the municipal level for the period 1900–1917, we explore the effectiveness of public health measures championed by the TB movement, including the establishment of sanatoriums and open-air camps, prohibitions on public spitting and common cups, and requirements that local health officials be notified about TB cases. Our results suggest that these and other anti-TB measures can explain, at most, only a small portion of the overall decline in pulmonary TB mortality observed during the period under study. (JEL H51, I12, I18, N31, N32)

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A thematic analysis of highly retweeted early COVID-19 tweets: consensus, information, dissent and lockdown life

Aslib Journal of Information Management ◽

10.1108/ajim-05-2020-0134 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 72 (6) ◽

pp. 945-962 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mike Thelwall ◽

Saheeda Thelwall

Keyword(s):

Thematic Analysis ◽

English Language ◽

Information Dissemination ◽

Public Attitudes ◽

Practical Implementation ◽

Health Campaigns ◽

Content Type ◽

Social Distancing ◽

Public Health Campaigns ◽

Public Reaction

PurposePublic attitudes towards COVID-19 and social distancing are critical in reducing its spread. It is therefore important to understand public reactions and information dissemination in all major forms, including on social media. This article investigates important issues reflected on Twitter in the early stages of the public reaction to COVID-19.Design/methodology/approachA thematic analysis of the most retweeted English-language tweets mentioning COVID-19 during March 10–29, 2020.FindingsThe main themes identified for the 87 qualifying tweets accounting for 14 million retweets were: lockdown life; attitude towards social restrictions; politics; safety messages; people with COVID-19; support for key workers; work; and COVID-19 facts/news.Research limitations/implicationsTwitter played many positive roles, mainly through unofficial tweets. Users shared social distancing information, helped build support for social distancing, criticised government responses, expressed support for key workers and helped each other cope with social isolation. A few popular tweets not supporting social distancing show that government messages sometimes failed.Practical implicationsPublic health campaigns in future may consider encouraging grass roots social web activity to support campaign goals. At a methodological level, analysing retweet counts emphasised politics and ignored practical implementation issues.Originality/valueThis is the first qualitative analysis of general COVID-19-related retweeting.

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Gender Discrepancies in SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic Related Beliefs, Attitudes, and Practices

Frontiers in Public Health ◽

10.3389/fpubh.2021.711460 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Bethann Mangel Pflugeisen ◽

Jin Mou

Keyword(s):

The United States ◽

International Studies ◽

Health Campaigns ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Community Healthcare ◽

Social Distancing ◽

Attitudes And Practices ◽

Early Stages ◽

Chi Squared ◽

Public Health Campaigns

Objectives: International studies suggest that males may be less likely to adhere to SARS-CoV-2 transmission mitigation efforts than females. However, there is a paucity of research in this field in the United States. The primary aim of this study was to explore the relationship of binary gender identity (female/male) with beliefs, attitudes, and pandemic-related practices in the early stages of the pandemic.Methods: This study is based on a cross-sectional, voluntary response survey. Patients who were tested for SARS-CoV-2 between March 5 and June 7, 2020 were invited to participate. All patients were tested within a large community healthcare system that serves patients through eight hospitals and hundreds of clinics across Washington State. Bivariate associations between gender and various demographics were tested using Chi-squared and Student's t-tests. We examined associations between gender and pandemic-related beliefs, attitudes, and practices using multivariable logistic regression, accounting for potential confounding factors.Results: Females were more likely than males to agree that they (aOR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.14–2.00) or their families (aOR = 1.75, 95% CI 1.31–2.33) were threatened by SARS-CoV-2, or that their own behavior could impact transmission (aOR = 2.17, 95% CI 1.49–3.15). Similarly, females were more likely to agree that social distancing (aOR = 1.72, 95% CI 1.19–2.46), handwashing (aOR = 3.27, 95% CI 2.06–5.21), and masking (aOR = 1.41, 95% CI 1.02–1.94) were necessary to slow SARS-CoV-2 spread. Females were significantly less likely to visit outside of their social distancing circle (aOR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.47–0.81), but among those who did, practices of social distancing (aOR = 1.41, 95% CI 0.89–2.23), remaining outdoors (aOR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.56–1.40), and masking (aOR = 1.19, 95% CI 0.74–1.93) were comparable to males, while females practiced handwashing more than males (aOR = 2.11, 95% CI 1.33–3.34).Conclusions: Our study suggests that gender disparate beliefs, attitudes, and practices existed in the early stages of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Efforts should be tailored to encourage males to engage with mitigation efforts in ongoing pandemic-related public health campaigns.

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Demographic patterns of lockdown breakers: a worldwide study

10.31234/osf.io/2k5gy ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Barnabas Szaszi ◽

Balazs Aczel ◽

Nandor Hajdu ◽

Peter Szecsi ◽

Elizabeth Tipton

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Low Income ◽

Health Campaigns ◽

Target Populations ◽

Country Level ◽

Behavior Change Interventions ◽

Education Levels ◽

And Gender ◽

Public Health Campaigns ◽

Demographic Patterns

Knowing who to target with certain messages is the prerequisite of efficient public health campaigns during pandemics. Using the COVID-19 pandemic situation, we explored which facets of the society - defined by age, gender, income, and education levels - are the most likely to visit social gatherings and aggravate the spread of a disease. Analyzing the reported behavior of 87,169 individuals from and 41 countries, we found that in the majority of the countries, the proportion of social gathering-goers was higher in male than female, younger than older, lower-educated than higher educated, and low-income than high-income subgroups of the populations. However, the data showed noteworthy heterogeneity between the countries warranting against generalizing from one country to another. The analysis also revealed that relative to other demographic factors, income was the strongest predictor of avoidance of social gatherings followed by age, education and gender. Although the observed strength of these associations were relatively small, we argue that incorporating demographic-based segmentation into public health campaigns can increase the efficiency of campaigns with an important caveat: the exploration of these associations need to be done on a country level before using the information to target populations in behavior change interventions.

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Reasons for Caution When Emphasizing Health Disparities for Sexual and Gender Minority Adults in Public Health Campaigns

American Journal of Public Health ◽

10.2105/ajph.2017.303883 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 107 (8) ◽

pp. 1223-1225 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Joseph G. L. Lee ◽

Hope Landrine ◽

Ryan J. Martin ◽

Derrick D. Matthews ◽

Paige E. Averett ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Disparities ◽

Health Campaigns ◽

Gender Minority ◽

Sexual And Gender Minority ◽

And Gender ◽

Public Health Campaigns

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Targeting COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Minority Populations in the US: Implications for Herd Immunity

Vaccines ◽

10.3390/vaccines9050489 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 489

Author(s):

James E. K. Hildreth ◽

Donald J. Alcendor

Keyword(s):

Ethnic Minorities ◽

Healthcare System ◽

Herd Immunity ◽

Virus Transmission ◽

Healthcare Research ◽

Vaccine Uptake ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Culturally Competent ◽

Vaccine Trials ◽

The Us

There has been a continuous underrepresentation of minorities in healthcare research and vaccine trials, along with long-standing systemic racism and discrimination that have been fueling the distrust of the healthcare system among these communities for decades. The history and legacy of racial injustices and negative experiences within a culturally insensitive healthcare system have greatly contributed to vaccine hesitancy among ethnic minorities. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy will impact vaccine uptake in the US, subsequently hindering the establishment of herd immunity (75–85% of the population vaccinated) to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission. Information targeting underserved racial/ethnic minorities in the US in a culturally competent manner has been lacking. This information is crucial for educating these communities about COVID-19 vaccines and their distribution as well as dispelling misinformation regarding vaccine trials, safety, and efficacy. This lack of education has greatly contributed to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and will increase disparities in vaccine uptake. Moreover, timely vaccinations are also essential to curtailing virus transmission and the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants that may evade the immune response produced by the three existing COVID-19 vaccines.

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Growing Need for Alternative Covid-19 Vaccination Strategy in the Face of Vaccination Uptake Hesitancy in the United States

Journal of Medical and Biological Science Research ◽

10.36630/jmbsr_21005 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 15-18

Author(s):

Nura Ikhalea ◽

◽

Hafsah Mohammed ◽

Nura Ikhalea ◽

Hafsah Mohammed ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Negative Impact ◽

Herd Immunity ◽

Vaccination Strategy ◽

The United States ◽

Vaccine Uptake ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Ripple Effect ◽

The Us ◽

Legal Strategies ◽

Vaccine Information

There has been accelerated effort geared towards the swift creation of COVID-19 vaccines; however, this fast pace poses a negative impact on vaccine acceptance. The current US COVID vaccine hesitancy of 23-33% has a ripple effect and makes it impossible to attain community immunity. The primary aim of this study was to assess the current COVID vaccine hesitancy rates and to argue for the need of more effective strategies to improve its uptake in the US. This paper reviewed quantitative peer-reviewed publications assessing COVID vaccine hesitancy in the US. It was revealed that COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was influenced by myriad factors like gender, education, political affiliation, race and location. Transparency and a mix of communication, local partnerships, incentives and arguably legal strategies can be adopted to attenuate US COVID vaccine hesitancy. Lastly, vulnerable demographics (black Americans and conservatives) need targeted COVID vaccine information. Keywords: Covid 19 Vaccines, Herd Immunity, Vaccine Uptake, Hesitancy and Vaccine Education

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COVID-19 Vaccine Intentions in the United States, December 2020 to March 2021

10.1101/2021.05.16.21257290 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mark É Czeisler ◽

Shantha M.W. Rajaratnam ◽

Mark E Howard ◽

Charles A Czeisler

Keyword(s):

Post Infection ◽

Political Ideology ◽

The United States ◽

Vaccine Uptake ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Efficacy Data ◽

Post Vaccination ◽

Safety And Efficacy ◽

Vaccine Refusal ◽

The Us

Importance SARS-CoV-2 containment is estimated to require attainment of high (>80%) post-infection and post-vaccination population immunity. Objective To assess COVID-19 vaccine intentions among US adults and their children, and reasons for vaccine hesitancy among potential refusers. Design Internet-based surveys were administered cross-sectionally to US adults during December 2020 and February to March 2021 (March-2021). Setting Surveys were administered through Qualtrics using demographic quota sampling. Participants A large, demographically diverse sample of 10,444 US adults (response rate, 63.9%). Main Outcomes and Measures COVID-19 vaccine uptake, intentions, and reasons for potential refusal. Adults living with or caring for children aged 2 to 18 years were asked about their intent to have their children vaccinated. Multivariable weighted logistic regression models were used to estimate adjusted odds ratios for vaccine refusal. Results Of 5256 March-2021 respondents, 3467 (66.0%) reported they would definitely or most likely obtain a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible (ASAP Obtainers), and an additional 478 (9.1%) reported they were waiting for more safety and efficacy data before obtaining the vaccine. Intentions for children and willingness to receive a booster shot largely matched personal COVID-19 vaccination intentions. Vaccine refusal (ie, neither ASAP Obtainers nor waiting for more safety and efficacy data) was most strongly associated with not having obtained an influenza vaccine in 2020 (adjusted odds ratio, 4.11 [95% CI, 3.05-5.54]), less frequent mask usage (eg, rarely or never versus always or often, 3.92 [2.52-6.10]) or social gathering avoidance (eg, rarely or never versus always or often, 2.65 [1.95-3.60]), younger age (eg, aged 18-24 versus over 65 years, 3.88 [2.02-7.46]), and more conservative political ideology (eg, very conservative versus very liberal, 3.58 [2.16-5.94]); all P<.001. Conclusions and Relevance Three-quarters of March-2021 respondents in our large, demographically diverse sample of US adults reported they would likely obtain a COVID-19 vaccine, and 60% of adults living with or caring for children plan to have them vaccinated as soon as possible. With an estimated 27% of the US population having been infected with SARS-CoV-2, once vaccines are available to children and they have been vaccinated, combined post-infection and post-vaccination immunity will approach 80% of the US population in 2021, even without further infections.

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Public Perceptions of Current COVID-19 Vaccinations. Results of a Pilot Survey

Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis ◽

10.1177/10760296211066942 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 27 ◽

pp. 107602962110669

Author(s):

Bulent Kantarcioglu ◽

Krishan Patel ◽

Joseph Lewis ◽

Omer Iqbal ◽

Fakiha Siddiqui ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vaccination Rate ◽

Public Perceptions ◽

Faculty Members ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Safety And Efficacy ◽

The Public ◽

The Us ◽

And Gender

Introduction We conducted a cross-sectional survey as a part of an educational program in collaboration with the Global Thrombosis Forum (GTF), an affiliate of North American Thrombosis Forum (NATF), and Loyola University about public perceptions of COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccinations in the US. In this study, we are reporting the results of this survey. Materials and Methods The survey, in the form of a questionnaire, has been developed by GTF and faculty members. A prepared questionnaire was sent to the members of the Georgia and Illinois communities. Results In our current study, the COVID-19 vaccine willingness rate was 94.5% and vaccination rate was 90.9%. In multivariate analysis believing to have enough information about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines (OR: 3.730, 95% CI: 1.199–11.603, p: 0.023) and gender (OR: 0.123, 95% CI: 0.016–0.967, p: 0.046) were significant predictors for vaccine willingness. Previous COVID-19 infection (OR: 0.215, 95% CI: 0.061–0.758, p: 0.017), moderate and severe effects of COVID-19 pandemic on participant's life (OR: 4.631, 95% CI 1.681–12.760, p: 0.003) and believing to have enough information about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines (OR: 4.119, 95% CI: 1.508–11.253, p: 0.006) were significant predictors for final vaccination status. Conclusion In conclusion, currently vaccination remains one of the most effective tools in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The vaccine hesitancy is a complex phenomenon that is driven by individuals' perceptions of safety, and efficiency of the vaccines. We must continue to educate the public and communities that vaccines are safe, that they are effective and that they are still required even after a COVID-19 infection.

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Abstract 25: Patient-reported Outcomes, Resource Utilization, and Healthcare Expenditures Across the 3 Major Atherosclerotic Diseases: The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (meps)

Circulation Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes ◽

10.1161/hcq.13.suppl_1.25 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (Suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Martin Tibuakuu ◽

Victor Okunrintemi ◽

Andi Shahu ◽

Ratchford V Ratchford ◽

Nazir Savji ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Patient Reported Outcomes ◽

Medical Expenditure Panel Survey ◽

Medical Expenditure ◽

Panel Survey ◽

Health Campaigns ◽

Healthcare Expenditures ◽

Patient Reported ◽

Artery Disease ◽

Public Health Campaigns

Background: Public health campaigns aimed at reducing the morbidity, mortality and economic burden of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) have mainly targeted coronary artery disease (CAD). Stroke and peripheral artery disease (PAD) are associated with substantial medical and financial burden for patients and the US healthcare system. Objective: We sought to compare the associations of patient-reported outcomes, resource utilization, and healthcare expenditures across the 3 major ASCVD types (CAD, stroke, or PAD). Methods: We used data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) conducted between 2006-2015 and included adults aged ≥18 yrs. MEPS is a nationally representative US sample and provides information on patient-reported outcomes (PROs), medical conditions, healthcare utilization and expenditures. The ASCVD types were ascertained by ICD-9 codes and/or self-reported data. Participants with more than 1 ASCVD type were not included. The associations of PROs and health utilization were quantified and contrasted across the 3 ASCVD types using multivariable adjusted regression models. A 2-part econometric model was used to assess healthcare expenditures. Results: The study sample included 14,262 MEPS participants with 1 type of ASCVD, translating into 15.9 million US adults. The mean age (SD) was 65 (±14) yrs; 48% were women, 59.6% had the diagnosis of CAD only, 37.5% stroke only, and 2.9% PAD only. Participants with stroke were more likely to report poor patient-provider communication [OR 1.37 (95% CI 1.18-1.59)], poor healthcare satisfaction, and more ED visits, and were less likely to be on a statin and aspirin, compared to CAD ( Table ). Participants with PAD also had higher odds of not being on aspirin [3.10 (2.31-4.16)] and statin [2.01 (1.37-2.95)], compared to CAD. PAD was associated with the highest annual total and out-of-pocket expenditures among the 3 ASCVDs. Conclusion: Both stroke and PAD were associated with low uptake of guideline-directed preventive therapies, compared to CAD, with PAD having the highest healthcare expenditures among the 3 ASCVD types. Our results highlight a missed opportunity for secondary ASCVD prevention among patients with PAD and stroke, and the need for public health campaigns to direct equal attention to all 3 major ASCVDs.

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