Understanding COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance among Latin American Health Workers: Implications for Designing Interventions

Abstract

Health workers (HWs) have a key role in promoting vaccine acceptance. This study draws on the Behavioral and Social Drivers of Vaccination (BeSD) model and our team’s investigation of vaccine hesitancy in a sample of 1197 HWs across 14 Caribbean countries in 2021. We conducted a cross-sectional Internet survey of 6718 HWs across 16 countries in Latin America in spring 2022, after the COVID-19 vaccine had recently become widely available in the region. The survey assessed HWs’ attitudes regarding COVID-19 vaccines and vaccines in general. As a proxy measure of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, we used the willingness to recommend the COVID-19 vaccine to eligible people. Ninety-seven percent of respondents were COVID-19 vaccine acceptant. Although nearly all respondents felt that the COVID-19 vaccine was safe and effective, 59% expressed concerns about potential adverse effects. Despite uniformly high acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine overall and across Latin American subregions, acceptance differed by sex, HW profession, and COVID-19 history. Social processes, including actions and opinions of friends, family, and colleagues; actions and opinions of religious leaders; and information seen on social networks shaped many respondents’ opinions of vaccines, and the magnitude of these effects differed across both demographic and geographic subgroups. Information campaigns designed for HWs should underscore the importance of vaccine safety. Messages should be tailored to specific audiences according to the information source each is most likely to consult and trust.