Understanding RSV Vaccine Hesitancy: Exploring Decision-Making Pathways

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Behavioral Science
• Vaccinology

Background:

• Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) poses significant health risks, especially to older adults and infants.
• Vaccine hesitancy remains a barrier to achieving high immunization rates for preventable diseases.
• Decision-making processes, including rational thought and cognitive heuristics, influence vaccine acceptance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate factors contributing to RSV vaccine hesitancy in adults aged 60+ and pregnant women.
• To examine the roles of belief in vaccine pseudo-information and individual ethical orientations (IEO) in vaccine decision-making.
• To assess the influence of omission bias and its interaction with other factors on RSV vaccination reluctance.

Main Methods:

• Conducted two online surveys targeting adults aged 60 and older, and pregnant women.
• Analyzed data separately for each group to identify associations between pseudo-information, IEO, omission bias, and RSV vaccine hesitancy.
• Examined interactions between belief in pseudo-information and IEO, and between pseudo-information and omission bias.

Main Results:

• Belief in vaccine pseudo-information was a significant positive predictor of RSV vaccine hesitancy in both surveyed groups.
• Omission bias was significantly associated with hesitancy among pregnant women, especially concerning severe outcomes.
• Interactions between pseudo-information and IEO, and pseudo-information and omission bias, were linked to hesitancy in pregnant women.

Conclusions:

• Addressing misinformation and understanding cognitive biases are critical for promoting RSV vaccine acceptance.
• Tailored communication strategies may be needed for different demographic groups, considering their unique decision-making pathways.
• Further research is warranted to explore group differences and refine interventions to combat RSV vaccine hesitancy.