Predicting COVID-19 booster vaccine intentions.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Behavioral Science
• Vaccinology

Background:

• Broad immunity via vaccination is key for managing COVID-19, preventing severe illness and hospitalizations.
• Waning vaccine immunity necessitates booster vaccines to maintain population-level protection.
• Correlates of booster vaccine intentions among the vaccinated population remain understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the influence of social cognition theories and generalized beliefs on COVID-19 booster vaccine intentions.
• To identify key factors predicting intentions to receive booster vaccinations.
• To inform intervention strategies for promoting booster vaccine uptake.

Main Methods:

• An integrated model was applied to assess social cognition constructs and generalized beliefs.
• Survey data from 479 US residents previously vaccinated against COVID-19 were collected.
• Measures included attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, risk perceptions, vaccine hesitancy, political orientation, free will beliefs, and booster vaccine intentions.

Main Results:

• Social cognition constructs, particularly attitude and subjective norms, were significantly related to booster vaccine intentions.
• Beliefs such as vaccine hesitancy, political orientation, and free will influenced intentions indirectly through social cognition constructs.
• Vaccine hesitancy showed a small, direct residual effect on intentions.

Conclusions:

• Attitude and subjective norms are primary drivers of COVID-19 booster vaccine intentions.
• Intervention messages targeting social cognition may effectively promote booster vaccine uptake.
• Understanding generalized beliefs' mediating role can refine public health communication strategies for vaccine campaigns.