Exploring COVID-19 Vaccine Attitudes among Racially and Ethnically Minoritized Communities: Community Partners' and...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Equity
• Social Determinants of Health

Background:

• COVID-19 disproportionately impacts Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities.
• Vaccination rates remain lower in these communities, necessitating an understanding of contributing factors.
• A qualitative approach was used to explore barriers and facilitators to vaccine acceptance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the reasons behind low COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in BIPOC communities.
• To identify key themes influencing vaccine attitudes and uptake.
• To inform culturally tailored strategies for improving vaccination rates.

Main Methods:

• Seventeen focus groups were conducted with community partners and residents in Houston.
• Participants represented public health, healthcare centers, community organizations, faith-based organizations, and BIPOC residents.
• A social-ecological model and anti-racism framework guided thematic analysis.

Main Results:

• Key themes included the legacy of structural racism leading to distrust, media misinformation, the importance of listening to community needs, evolving vaccine attitudes, and understanding alternative health beliefs.
• Structural racism was a significant driver of vaccine hesitancy.
• Community residents' vaccine attitudes could be positively influenced by confidence in vaccination's protective benefits.

Conclusions:

• Culturally tailored health education and vaccination initiatives are crucial for improving vaccine acceptance in BIPOC communities.
• Recommendations include adopting an anti-racist lens, addressing misinformation with trusted leaders, bringing vaccines into communities, establishing vaccine equity task forces, and investing in healthcare infrastructure.
• Achieving racial justice and health equity requires sustained efforts focused on cultural humility, bidirectionality, and mutual respect.