| Literature DB >> 34987300 |
Nicolle M Krebs1, Gail D'Souza1, Candace Bordner1,2, Sophia I Allen1, Andrea L Hobkirk1,2, Jonathan Foulds1,2, Jessica M Yingst1.
Abstract
Novel mRNA vaccines have been developed and were first distributed to high-risk individuals (including smokers) in the United States starting in December 2020 to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Over one-half of the U.S. adult population has received at least 1 dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, but many others have reported hesitation about becoming vaccinated. We examined COVID-19 vaccine uptake and hesitancy from a convenience sample of Pennsylvanian adult smokers in April 2021, approximately 3 months after tobacco users were eligible to receive vaccination in the state. Participants (n = 231) were 23.4% male, 90.5% white, and had a mean age of 48.1 (SD = 11.9) years. All participants were current tobacco users, with the majority reporting current cigarette smoking (90.9%) with an average of 16 (SD = 8.1) cigarettes smoked per day. Nearly 60% (n = 137) reported receiving at least 1 dose of the vaccine and of those who did not (n = 94), 84% (n = 79) said they were somewhat or very unlikely to get a vaccine. Those who were unvaccinated were more likely to not consume news about COVID-19 (chi-square P-value < .01) and less likely to believe government news sources as reliable information for COVID-19 (chi-square P-value < .01). Qualitative responses among those who were vaccine hesitant expressed concerns about the lack of research on the vaccine, distrust of the safety of the vaccine, and fears about side effects. Understanding vaccine hesitancy among tobacco users can help develop targeted communication strategies and directly address concerns to promote vaccination among this population who may be at an increased risk of severe complications from COVID-19.Entities:
Keywords: COVID-19; hesitancy; smoking; tobacco; vaccination
Year: 2021 PMID: 34987300 PMCID: PMC8721404 DOI: 10.1177/1179173X211068027
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Tob Use Insights ISSN: 1179-173X
Characteristics overall and by vaccination status.
| Overall | Vaccinated
| Not Vaccinated (n = 94) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sociodemographic characteristics | ||||
| Mean age (SD) | 48.1 (11.9) | 50.5 (12.3) | 44.6 (10.3) |
|
| % (n) male | 23.4 (54) | 21.2 (29) | 26.6 (25) | .34 |
| % (n) Hispanic or Latino (n = 229) | 3.5 (8) | 2.2 (3) | 5.4 (5) | .20 |
| % (n) white | 90.5 (209) | 92.7 (127) | 87.2 (82) | .16 |
| % (n) earned college degree (n = 228) | 20.2 (46) | 25.0 (34) | 13.0 (12) |
|
| Smoking characteristics | ||||
| % (n) cigarette smoker | 90.9 (210) | 92.0 (126) | 89.4 (84) | .50 |
| Mean cigarettes per day (SD) (n = 208) | 16.0 (8.1) | 15.8 (7.6) | 16.1 (9.0) | .79 |
| Mean years smoked (SD) | 28.0 (12.7) | 30.1 (13.0) | 24.8 (11.7) |
|
| % (n) e-cigarette user | 15.2 (35) | 14.6 (20) | 16.0 (15) | .78 |
| Mean times per day (SD) (n = 33) | 2.8 (2.1) | 2.6 (2.5) | 3.1 (1.6) | .44 |
| Mean years vaped (SD) | 2.4 (1.6) | 2.4 (1.5) | 2.4 (1.8) | 1.0 |
| % (n) other tobacco user | 3.9 (9) | 2.9 (4) | 5.3 (5) | .35 |
| % (n) dual user of cigarettes and e-cigs | 8.2 (19) | 8.8 (12) | 7.5 (7) | .72 |
| COVID-19 characteristics | ||||
| % (n) ever have symptoms of COVID-19 | 35.9 (83) | 36.5 (50) | 35.1 (33) | .83 |
| % (n) ever tested for COVID-19 | 60.0 (138) | 64.0 (87) | 54.3 (51) | .14 |
| % (n) ever tested positive for COVID-19 | 15.3 (21) | 8.0 (11) | 10.6 (10) | .50 |
| % (n) perceive greater risk of catching COVID-19 (n = 155) | 23.2 (36) | 30.7 (27) | 13.4 (9) |
|
| % (n) perceive greater risk for serious complications from COVID-19 (n = 156) | 59.6 (93) | 70.5 (62) | 45.6 (31) |
|
| Mean distress experienced related to COVID-19 (SD) (range 1–10) (n = 230) | 5.5 (2.6) | 5.6 (2.4) | 5.4 (2.9) | .63 |
| % (n) who endorsed news sources as most reliable for COVID-19 information (n = 217) | ||||
| Government sources | 40.6 (88) | 49.6 (66) | 26.2 (22) |
|
| Print/radio/television sources | 17.5 (38) | 17.3 (23) | 17.9 (15) | .92 |
| Online sources | 14.3 (31) | 15.8 (21) | 11.9 (10) | .43 |
| Personal networks | 3.7 (8) | 4.8 (4) | 3.0 (4) | .50 |
| Does not consume news about COVID-19 | 24.0 (52) | 14.3 (19) | 39.3 (33) |
|
aReported receiving at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Note: Variables with missing data have the total sample size in parentheses.
Logistic regression model with predictors of being unvaccinated.
| Characteristic | Odds Ratio (OR) | 95% Confidence Interval (CI) | Beta (β) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (continuous) | .95 | .92–.99 | −.05 | <.01 |
| Hispanic ethnicity
| 21.90 | 1.99–240.64 | 3.09 | .01 |
| COVID-19 distress (range 1–10) | 1.21 | 1.01–1.45 | .19 | .04 |
| COVID-19 news consumption
| .18 | .06–.57 | −1.69 | <.01 |
| Endorses COVID-19 news from government as reliable
| .25 | .09–.66 | −1.41 | <.01 |
| Has been tested for COVID-19
| .20 | .08–.50 | −1.60 | <.01 |
aVariable coded as 1 = yes and 0 = no.