Sars-CoV2 vaccine hesitancy in Italy: A survey on subjects with diabetes

Vaccine Hesitancy (VH) is a relevant obstacle for the COVID-19 vaccination campaign. The aim of this study is to assess the proportion of subjects unwilling to vaccinate among patients with type 1 (T1DM) and 2 (T2DM) diabetes, exploring factors associated with VH.

A purposely created interview was delivered from physicians to a consecutive series of adult (>18 years) subjects with diabetes referring to the Diabetes Outpatient Clinic of Careggi Hospital, Florence, from January 1st to April 30th 2021. Out of 502 subjects enrolled, 92 were vaccine hesitant respondents (18.3%); the corresponding figure for T1DM and T2DM was 13.0% (N = 14), and 19.9% (N = 78), respectively. After adjusting for age, higher HbA1c (1.07 [1.02-1.13], p = 0.008) and triglycerides levels (1.03 [1.01-1.06], p = 0.011) were positively associated with VH, among patients with T1DM. At multivariate analysis, after adjusting for age, creatinine, and statin use, patients with T2DM affected by obesity (9.98 [4.89-9.59], p < 0.01) and with lower levels of creatinine (0.36 [0.21-0.54], p = 0.029) were more likely to refuse COVID vaccination.

Hesitancy toward COVID-19 vaccination among subjects with diabetes is not negligible and seems to be more prevalent in individuals with lower adherence to medical prescriptions and/or reduced concerns over their health. This suggests the need for specific interventions to increase awareness and counter prejudices on vaccines.