Vaccine Hesitancy and Factors Related to Vaccine Hesitancy in COVID-19 Vaccination among a Tribal Community of Meghalaya: A Mixed Methods Study

Vaccine hesitancy should be dealt as an important issue as it carries both individual- and community-level risks; however, it lacks proper assessment in particular among the indigenous tribal population. A community-based sequential explanatory mixed methods study was conducted among 238 eligible in...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Shanthosh P Sundaram MD, Ningombam J Devi MD, Markordor Lyngdoh MD, Gajendra K Medhi MD, Wallambok Lynrah BSc
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2023-07-01
Series:Journal of Patient Experience
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/23743735231183673
_version_ 1797782378475683840
author Shanthosh P Sundaram MD
Ningombam J Devi MD
Markordor Lyngdoh MD
Gajendra K Medhi MD
Wallambok Lynrah BSc
author_facet Shanthosh P Sundaram MD
Ningombam J Devi MD
Markordor Lyngdoh MD
Gajendra K Medhi MD
Wallambok Lynrah BSc
author_sort Shanthosh P Sundaram MD
collection DOAJ
description Vaccine hesitancy should be dealt as an important issue as it carries both individual- and community-level risks; however, it lacks proper assessment in particular among the indigenous tribal population. A community-based sequential explanatory mixed methods study was conducted among 238 eligible individuals in Ri-Bhoi district, Meghalaya. The quantitative part involved a cross-sectional study to determine the proportion of vaccine hesitancy and the qualitative part comprised in-depth interviews among the eligible residents and key informant interviews among the health workers providing the vaccination services, to explore the facilitators and barriers of vaccine uptake. A total of 113 [47.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 41.0%-54.0%)] participants were found to be hesitant to vaccination, among which 16.8% (95% CI: 12.4%-22.3%) were initially hesitant and 30.7% (95% CI: 24.9%-37.0%) had vaccine refusal. The themes generated through qualitative interviews were individual-related, disease-related, vaccine-related, healthcare system and provider related and socio-cultural and religious. The main barriers for the likelihood of action were perceived susceptibility and perceived severity under the individual perception along with ambiguity aversion, scepticism about the efficacy, mistrust, concerns on side effects, rumors, and socio-cultural and religious misbeliefs. Vaccine hesitancy is found to be considerably higher and it depends on complacency toward the vaccine, confidence in its safety, perceived susceptibility to the disease and perceived severity to the disease coupled with modifying factors for cues for action. Healthcare workers should better communicate to improve the uptake of vaccines by reducing the barriers to the vaccine acceptance.
first_indexed 2024-03-13T00:10:08Z
format Article
id doaj.art-e4ac1616088d4da0971cbf7a4ba68f2b
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2374-3743
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-13T00:10:08Z
publishDate 2023-07-01
publisher SAGE Publishing
record_format Article
series Journal of Patient Experience
spelling doaj.art-e4ac1616088d4da0971cbf7a4ba68f2b2023-07-12T19:03:19ZengSAGE PublishingJournal of Patient Experience2374-37432023-07-011010.1177/23743735231183673Vaccine Hesitancy and Factors Related to Vaccine Hesitancy in COVID-19 Vaccination among a Tribal Community of Meghalaya: A Mixed Methods StudyShanthosh P Sundaram MDNingombam J Devi MDMarkordor Lyngdoh MDGajendra K Medhi MDWallambok Lynrah BScVaccine hesitancy should be dealt as an important issue as it carries both individual- and community-level risks; however, it lacks proper assessment in particular among the indigenous tribal population. A community-based sequential explanatory mixed methods study was conducted among 238 eligible individuals in Ri-Bhoi district, Meghalaya. The quantitative part involved a cross-sectional study to determine the proportion of vaccine hesitancy and the qualitative part comprised in-depth interviews among the eligible residents and key informant interviews among the health workers providing the vaccination services, to explore the facilitators and barriers of vaccine uptake. A total of 113 [47.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 41.0%-54.0%)] participants were found to be hesitant to vaccination, among which 16.8% (95% CI: 12.4%-22.3%) were initially hesitant and 30.7% (95% CI: 24.9%-37.0%) had vaccine refusal. The themes generated through qualitative interviews were individual-related, disease-related, vaccine-related, healthcare system and provider related and socio-cultural and religious. The main barriers for the likelihood of action were perceived susceptibility and perceived severity under the individual perception along with ambiguity aversion, scepticism about the efficacy, mistrust, concerns on side effects, rumors, and socio-cultural and religious misbeliefs. Vaccine hesitancy is found to be considerably higher and it depends on complacency toward the vaccine, confidence in its safety, perceived susceptibility to the disease and perceived severity to the disease coupled with modifying factors for cues for action. Healthcare workers should better communicate to improve the uptake of vaccines by reducing the barriers to the vaccine acceptance.https://doi.org/10.1177/23743735231183673
spellingShingle Shanthosh P Sundaram MD
Ningombam J Devi MD
Markordor Lyngdoh MD
Gajendra K Medhi MD
Wallambok Lynrah BSc
Vaccine Hesitancy and Factors Related to Vaccine Hesitancy in COVID-19 Vaccination among a Tribal Community of Meghalaya: A Mixed Methods Study
Journal of Patient Experience
title Vaccine Hesitancy and Factors Related to Vaccine Hesitancy in COVID-19 Vaccination among a Tribal Community of Meghalaya: A Mixed Methods Study
title_full Vaccine Hesitancy and Factors Related to Vaccine Hesitancy in COVID-19 Vaccination among a Tribal Community of Meghalaya: A Mixed Methods Study
title_fullStr Vaccine Hesitancy and Factors Related to Vaccine Hesitancy in COVID-19 Vaccination among a Tribal Community of Meghalaya: A Mixed Methods Study
title_full_unstemmed Vaccine Hesitancy and Factors Related to Vaccine Hesitancy in COVID-19 Vaccination among a Tribal Community of Meghalaya: A Mixed Methods Study
title_short Vaccine Hesitancy and Factors Related to Vaccine Hesitancy in COVID-19 Vaccination among a Tribal Community of Meghalaya: A Mixed Methods Study
title_sort vaccine hesitancy and factors related to vaccine hesitancy in covid 19 vaccination among a tribal community of meghalaya a mixed methods study
url https://doi.org/10.1177/23743735231183673
work_keys_str_mv AT shanthoshpsundarammd vaccinehesitancyandfactorsrelatedtovaccinehesitancyincovid19vaccinationamongatribalcommunityofmeghalayaamixedmethodsstudy
AT ningombamjdevimd vaccinehesitancyandfactorsrelatedtovaccinehesitancyincovid19vaccinationamongatribalcommunityofmeghalayaamixedmethodsstudy
AT markordorlyngdohmd vaccinehesitancyandfactorsrelatedtovaccinehesitancyincovid19vaccinationamongatribalcommunityofmeghalayaamixedmethodsstudy
AT gajendrakmedhimd vaccinehesitancyandfactorsrelatedtovaccinehesitancyincovid19vaccinationamongatribalcommunityofmeghalayaamixedmethodsstudy
AT wallamboklynrahbsc vaccinehesitancyandfactorsrelatedtovaccinehesitancyincovid19vaccinationamongatribalcommunityofmeghalayaamixedmethodsstudy