TY - JOUR
T1 - COVID-19 Virus and Vaccination Attitudes among Healthcare Workers in Michigan
T2 - A Cross-Sectional Study
AU - Takagi, Maya Asami
AU - Hess, Samantha
AU - Gawronski, Karissa
AU - Haddad, Nicholas
AU - Noveloso, Bernard
AU - Zyzanski, Stephen
AU - Ragina, Neli
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported in part by the Michigan State Medical Society Foundation (P64840).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 by the authors.
PY - 2023/6
Y1 - 2023/6
N2 - Background: Defining the characteristics of healthcare worker (HCW) attitudes toward the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine can provide insights into vaccine hesitancy. This study’s goal is to determine HCWs’ attitudes regarding the COVID-19 vaccination and reasons for vaccine hesitancy. Methods: This cross-sectional study surveyed HCWs working in institutions in Saginaw, Sanilac, and Wayne counties in Michigan (N = 120) using tipping-scale questions. Analysis of variance and t-test were used to measure HCWs’ attitudes toward the COVID-19 virus and vaccines. Results: Most HCWs received (95.9%) and recommended (98.3%) a COVID-19 vaccine. The top three factors that HCWs cited for recommending a COVID-19 vaccine were: (1) efficacy of the vaccine, (2) current exposure to patients with active COVID-19 infection and risk of virus spread, and (3) safety of vaccine and long-term follow-up. Female HCWs or HCWs aged 25–54 years were more concerned about contracting COVID-19. Physicians or HCWs aged 55–64 were less concerned regarding the effectiveness and side effects of the vaccine. Conclusions: Gender, age, ethnicity, provider type, and medical specialty showed statistically significant differences among COVID-19 attitudes. Focusing educational efforts on HCW demographics who are more likely to have negative attitudes can potentially decrease vaccine hesitancy.
AB - Background: Defining the characteristics of healthcare worker (HCW) attitudes toward the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine can provide insights into vaccine hesitancy. This study’s goal is to determine HCWs’ attitudes regarding the COVID-19 vaccination and reasons for vaccine hesitancy. Methods: This cross-sectional study surveyed HCWs working in institutions in Saginaw, Sanilac, and Wayne counties in Michigan (N = 120) using tipping-scale questions. Analysis of variance and t-test were used to measure HCWs’ attitudes toward the COVID-19 virus and vaccines. Results: Most HCWs received (95.9%) and recommended (98.3%) a COVID-19 vaccine. The top three factors that HCWs cited for recommending a COVID-19 vaccine were: (1) efficacy of the vaccine, (2) current exposure to patients with active COVID-19 infection and risk of virus spread, and (3) safety of vaccine and long-term follow-up. Female HCWs or HCWs aged 25–54 years were more concerned about contracting COVID-19. Physicians or HCWs aged 55–64 were less concerned regarding the effectiveness and side effects of the vaccine. Conclusions: Gender, age, ethnicity, provider type, and medical specialty showed statistically significant differences among COVID-19 attitudes. Focusing educational efforts on HCW demographics who are more likely to have negative attitudes can potentially decrease vaccine hesitancy.
KW - COVID-19 vaccines
KW - COVID-19 virus
KW - healthcare workers
KW - vaccination recommendations
KW - vaccine hesitancy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85163673080&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/vaccines11061105
DO - 10.3390/vaccines11061105
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85163673080
SN - 2076-393X
VL - 11
JO - Vaccines
JF - Vaccines
IS - 6
M1 - 1105
ER -
