12:30pm - 1:30pm (CDT) | 4165.0 - Addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy amongst racial and ethnic populations: A scoping review

Session: Chppd Poster Session 6

Program: Community Health Planning and Policy Development

Presenter: Shankeri Vijayakumar

Abstract

Background

Vaccine hesitancy is a phenomenon that predates the COVID-19 pandemic and has been steadily rising for the past several years. The increasing hesitancy around vaccinations and the resurgence of many vaccine preventable communicable diseases led the World Health Organization (WHO) to list vaccine hesitancy as one of the top ten threats to global health. The WHO defines vaccine hesitancy as a “delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccination despite availability of vaccination services”. Often discourse diffuses the responsibility to be educated about vaccinations as an individual responsibility. However, this directs focus away from institutions and historical factors that have led to the development of vaccine hesitant beliefs amongst certain populations. Communities of colour have historically been subjected to unjust treatment from medical and scientific institutions and many individuals continue to experience medical bias to this day.This review exlpores What strategies have been suggested or implemented to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy amongst racial and ethnic populations in North America?

Methods

A scoping review was conducted to aggregate and analyze literature on addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy amongst racial and ethnic populations. The scoping review was informed by the PPC and Arksey and O’Malley (2005) framework. Relevant literature was searched across 5 academic databases. The review included 98 papers.

Results

Overarching strategies and approaches to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy amongst racial and ethnic populations included: addressing structural barriers to vaccine uptake in addition to individual behaviour, tailoring health promotion messages for different racial and ethnic groups, emergency Departments (EDs) as a critical point for COVID-19 vaccine messaging and delivery, community-oriented and clinic based practices to develop culturally competent interventions, and partnerships between public health units and trusted. community figures and leaders. Conclusion: This scoping review provides an aggregate of literature on strategies and approaches to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy amongst racial and ethnic populations in North America. For populations at higher risk of COVID-19 infection, especially populations with pre-existing economic, social, and political disadvantages, dismantling barriers to vaccine uptake are crucial. Approaches to addressing vaccine hesitancy must engage community members, build trust, and advance health equity.