Determinants of acceptance of Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) vaccine among Lebanese health care workers using health belief model

• Published in: PloS one 2022-02, Vol.17 (2), p.e0264128
• Main Authors: Youssef, Dalal, Abou-Abbas, Linda, Berry, Atika, Youssef, Janet, Hassan, Hamad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acceptance tests; Adolescent; Adult; Behavior; Biology and Life Sciences; Coronaviruses; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - prevention & control; COVID-19 Vaccines; Cross-Sectional Studies; Disease transmission; Epidemiology; Evaluation; Fatalities; Female; Health aspects; Health behavior; Health Belief Model; Health care; Health care facilities; Health Personnel; Humans; Immunization; Infections; Influenza; Male; Medical personnel; Medical research; Medicine and Health Sciences; Middle Aged; Mortality; Pharmaceutical industry; Population; Preventive medicine; Public health; Questionnaires; Reliability; Rural areas; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Side effects; Vaccination; Vaccines; Viral diseases
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264128

Since Health care workers (HCWs) are at high occupational risk for COVID-19, they are prioritized for immunization. This study aimed to assess the acceptance rate of the COVID-19 vaccine among HCWs and to identify its determinants. A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted between10 and 31 December 2020 among Lebanese HCWs. The Health Belief Model (HBM) was used as a theoretical framework. Multivariable logistic analyses were carried out to identify the factors associated with the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine among HCWs. A total of 1800 HCWs have completed the survey. Around half (58.10%) of them were frontline HCWs and aged between (30-49) years old. Over two-thirds (67.33%) of the participants have received the seasonal influenza vaccine. The acceptance rate of the COVID-19 vaccine among surveyed HCWs was 58%. HCWs who were male (aOR = 1.99, 95% CI (1.41-2.80)), working in the frontlines (aOR = 1.61, 95% CI (1.17-2.21), and those who have received influenza vaccination for the current year (aOR = 1.38, 95% CI(0.99-1.92)) were more willing to get the COVID-19 vaccine. However, factors such as living in rural areas (aOR = 0.61, 95% CI (0.44-0.84)), and being previously diagnosed with COVID-19 (aOR = 0.66, 95%CI (0.45-0.96) were found negatively associated with vaccine acceptance. In terms of health beliefs items, concerns related to the novelty of vaccine (aOR = 0.42, 95% CI (0.25-0.71)), side effects/vaccine safety (aOR = 0.41, 95% CI (0.23-0.73), reliability of manufacturer (aOR = 0.43, 95% CI (0.30-0.63)), and the number of required doses (aOR = 0.58, 95% CI (0.40-0.84)) were also negatively associated with the willingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Remarkably, concerns such as the limited accessibility (aOR = 1.68, 95% CI (1.14-2.47)), and availability of vaccines (aOR = 2.16, 95% CI (1.46-3.20)) were associated with an increased likelihood of willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. With regards to cues of action, receiving reliable and adequate information about the vaccine (aOR = 1.98, 95% CI (1.36-2.88)), recommendation by health authorities (aOR = 1.93, 95% CI(1.33-2.81)), and recommendations from health facilities (aOR = 2.68, 95% CI(1.80-3.99)) were also positively associated with vaccine acceptance. Lastly, perception of COVID-19 vaccine benefits by HCWs in terms of protecting them and their close contacts (patients, family members, and friends) from COVID-19 infection (aOR = 4.21, 95% CI (2.78-7.11)) was associated wit