Evaluation of the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of people who have not yet been vaccinated during the Covid-19 vaccination process

Abstract

Purpose: In the study, it was aimed to understand the factors affecting the acceptance of the Covid-19 vaccine in Pursaklar district of Ankara, to identify common barriers to vaccination decisions, and to determine the necessary interventions to improve vaccination rates. Materials and Methods: The type of research is cross-sectional. A total of 370 people participated in the study. As a data source in the research, the questionnaire form "Evaluation of Information, Attitudes and Behaviors of People Who Have Not Been Vaccinated in the Covid-19 Vaccination Process in Ankara Pursaklar District" was used. Results: Among the reasons for not being vaccinated yet, although it was time for vaccination, the most common answers were 'there was no time/opportunity to get vaccinated' with 41.5% and 'I don't want to be vaccinated' with 40%. The attitudes of the participants about the Covid-19 vaccine after this survey are as follows; 27.3% “I will definitely get vaccinated”, 25.9% “I will probably get vaccinated”, 13.5% “I will definitely not get vaccinated”, 15.4% “I will probably not get vaccinated” and 17.8% “I have no idea”. In the model established by the multivariate logistic regression analysis, in which the factors affecting the unvaccinated status were examined, being in the 30-44 age range (OR: 2,646), not having Covid-19 before (OR: 3,832), not wanting to receive information from a physician about Covid-19 vaccines (OR:3,461) were definitely determined as effective factors on not getting vaccinated Conclusion: The high level of Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy, especially fueled by conspiracy theories on television and social media, can severely limit the effectiveness of currently ongoing vaccine programs. It is extremely important that these platforms transfer information in a controlled manner.