False Beliefs and Attitude Are Barriers to COVID-19 Vaccination

Abstract

Abstract As of October 2021, Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) volunteers donated over 2 million h to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The Health Belief Model (HBM) is used to understand the value a person places on preventative behavior against the risk of disease. A mixed method, unmatched, prospective case-control study was conducted regarding volunteers’ experience during the pandemic, reasons why these highly trained persons volunteer, what barriers to vaccination they observed, and how they helped others overcome those barriers. The HBM can elucidate the cognitive process to vaccinate. Regression analysis found a person’s attitude (which includes beliefs, peer pressure, preconceptions, unwillingness, and other indicators) is a barrier to vaccination. Service hours increased from 20 to 56 h among volunteers who saw attitude as a barrier to vaccination. Superstition and fear accounted for 99.8% of unvaccinated persons (P < 0.001). Fear was a barrier to protective health behavior. The public health system must do better to build trust as an ongoing endeavor, as even the increased service volunteers provided in response to the observed attitudes, was not enough to stem exponential transmission once the pandemic had begun. Policy-makers and the public health authority should take all necessary steps early in the pandemic to ensure the effectiveness of the vaccination program.