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05-Dec-2022
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Arch Hellen Med, 39(6),November-December 2022, 844-852 ORIGINAL PAPER Investigation of the factors that affect acceptance of vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, in Northern Greece D. Kavvadas,
D. Moustaklis,
D. Batzou,
E. Kyriakidou,
G. Intzes,
A. Kavvada,
T. Papamitsou |
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the factors that affect the acceptance of vaccines and especially those for COVID-19, in Greek primary healthcare workers (HCWs) and members of the general adult population of the city of Thessaloniki.
METHOD The study was based on a self-reported questionnaire consisting of 29 questions. The first 13 questions were related to the demographic characteristics of the sample, and 16 questions were designed to evaluate the acceptance of vaccines in general and the COVID-19 vaccine in particular. Responses were collected from a sample of 235 adults. Associations were determined by Pearson's Chi-square test.
RESULTS Several factors affect the reluctance of HCWs and members of the general population to be vaccinated, among which age, gender, parenthood and job specialty were the main factors associated with hesitancy. Citizens were in favor of the compulsory vaccination for health professionals, while the majority of HCWs disagreed with this policy (p=0.019). Younger participants, especially unmarried citizens without children, reported that they do not trust the efficacy of the expert committee (p=0.0002) and the beneficial effects of the vaccines on public health (p=0.00001). The majority of the females reported that they do not trust the experts (p=0.0032).
CONCLUSIONS The attitudes towards the vaccination program of HCWs and the general population should be assessed by governments in order to plan strategies to manage hesitancy and gain the trust of the people and protect public health.
Key words: COVID-19, Healthcare workers, Hesitancy, Public health, SARS-CoV-2, Vaccines.
