Vaccination Against COVID-19: A Longitudinal Trans-Theoretical Study to Determine Factors that Predict Intentions and...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Vaccine uptake for common infectious diseases remains suboptimal despite proven benefits.
• COVID-19 vaccines became available in December 2020, necessitating research into vaccine acceptance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify predictors of COVID-19 vaccine uptake using a conceptual model.
• To understand the factors influencing individuals' decisions to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Main Methods:

• An online survey was conducted with 309 Israelis before and 240 after vaccine availability.
• Data collection included intentions, background, COVID-19, vaccination, and social factors.
• Self-reported vaccination uptake was assessed at follow-up.

Main Results:

• Sixty-two percent of participants reported COVID-19 vaccination.
• Vaccination intentions strongly predicted uptake and mediated other factors.
• Attitudes, regret, trust, barriers, past flu vaccination, social norms, and COVID-19 perceptions explained 86% of intention variance.

Conclusions:

• Beliefs directly related to the COVID-19 vaccine were the primary drivers of vaccination intentions.
• Vaccination intentions significantly predicted actual vaccine uptake, underscoring the role of psychological factors.