Factors influencing hesitancy towards adult and child COVID-19 vaccines in rural and urban West Africa: a cross-sectional study
Seydou Doumbia,
Kadari Cisse,
Henri Gautier Ouedraogo,
Dewi Ismajani Puradiredja,
Jürgen May,
Ralf Krumkamp,
Daniela Fusco,
Sylvain Landry B. Faye,
Moctar Tounkara,
Ricardo Strauss,
Tani Sagna,
Alpha Mahmoud Barry,
Abdul Karim Mbawah,
Cheick Oumar Doumbia,
Souleymane Diouf,
Mohamed Harding,
Paule Donven
Affiliations
Seydou Doumbia
University Clinical Research Center (UCRC), Université des Sciences, des Techniques et des Technologies de Bamako (USTTB), Bamako, Mali
Kadari Cisse
Centre de Recherche en Epidémiologie, Biostatistiques et Recherche Clinique, Ecole de Santé Publique, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Henri Gautier Ouedraogo
Biomedical and Public Health Department, Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, Centre, Burkina Faso
Dewi Ismajani Puradiredja
Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Bernhard Nocht Institute of Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
Jürgen May
Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Bernhard Nocht Institute of Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
Ralf Krumkamp
Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Bernhard Nocht Institute of Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
Daniela Fusco
1Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM), Germany
Sylvain Landry B. Faye
Department of Sociology, Université Cheikh Anta Diop Faculté des Lettres et Sciences Humaines, Dakar, Senegal
Moctar Tounkara
Département d`Enseignement et de Recherche en Santé Publique et Spécialités, Faculté de Médecine et d`OdontoStomatologie- Université des Sciences, des Techniques et des Technologies, USTTB, Bamako, Mali
Ricardo Strauss
Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Bernhard Nocht Institute of Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
Tani Sagna
Biomedical and Public Health Department, Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, Centre, Burkina Faso
Alpha Mahmoud Barry
Gamal Abdel Nasser University of Conakry. Santé Plus Organization, Conakry, Guinea
Abdul Karim Mbawah
University of Sierra Leone, College of Medical – Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS), Freetown, Western Area, Sierra Leone
Cheick Oumar Doumbia
Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Bernhard Nocht Institute of Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
Souleymane Diouf
Department of Sociology, Université Cheikh Anta Diop Faculté des Lettres et Sciences Humaines, Dakar, Senegal
Mohamed Harding
University of Sierra Leone, College of Medical – Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS), Freetown, Western Area, Sierra Leone
Paule Donven
Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Bernhard Nocht Institute of Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
Objectives This study aims: (1) to identify and describe similarities and differences in both adult and child COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, and (2) to examine sociodemographic, perception-related and behavioural factors influencing vaccine hesitancy across five West African countries.Design Cross-sectional survey carried out between 5 May and 5 June 2021.Participants and setting 4198 individuals from urban and rural settings in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Senegal and Sierra Leone participated in the survey.Study registration The general protocol is registered on clinicaltrial.gov.Results Findings show that in West Africa at the time only 53% of all study participants reported to be aware of COVID-19 vaccines, and television (60%, n=1345), radio (56%; n=1258), social media (34%; n=764) and family/friends/neighbours (28%; n=634) being the most important sources of information about COVID-19 vaccines. Adult COVID-19 vaccine acceptance ranges from 60% in Guinea and 50% in Sierra Leone to 11% in Senegal. This is largely congruent with acceptance levels of COVID-19 vaccinations for children. Multivariable regression analysis shows that perceived effectiveness and safety of COVID-19 vaccines increased the willingness to get vaccinated. However, sociodemographic factors, such as sex, rural/urban residence, educational attainment and household composition (living with children and/or elderly), and the other perception parameters were not associated with the willingness to get vaccinated in the multivariable regression model.Conclusions Primary sources of information about COVID-19 vaccines include television, radio and social media. Communication strategies addressed at the adult population using mass and social media, which emphasise COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness and safety, could encourage greater acceptance also of COVID-19 child vaccinations in sub-Saharan countries.Trial registration number NCT04912284.
