The Multidimensional Vaccine Hesitancy Scale: A Validation Study
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Data Collection
2.2. Translation and Adaptation of MVHS into Romanian
2.3. Measures
- Multidimensional vaccine hesitancy scale–MVHS [17] measures vaccination hesitancy behaviour, and it has 32 items assessed on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree).
- The scale of COVID-19 vaccine willingness has two items assessed on a scale from 1 (extremely disinterested) to 7 (extremely willing): Please show how willing you are to get an anti-COVID-19 vaccine next year if (1) the vaccine is free and if (2) it costs 2500 lei (Romanian currency). The internal consistency coefficients are Cronbach’α = 0.71 (95%CI: 0.66–0.76) and McDonald’ s ω = 0.71 (95%CI: 0.67–0.75).
- The scale of flu vaccine willingness. Similarly, two items were used on a scale from 1 (extremely disinterested) to 7(extremely willing): Please show how willing you are to get a flu vaccine next year if (1) it is free and if (2) it costs 2500 lei (Romanian currency). For the respective coefficients, the acceptable value, Cronbach’s α 0.67 (95%CI: 0.60–0.72) and McDonald’ s ω = 0.66 (95%CI: 0.60–0.70). The two scales were inspired by the studies of Howard [17], Perez et al. [24], and Shapiro et al. [25].
2.4. The Sociodemographic and Vaccination Data
2.5. Statistical Strategies
3. Results
3.1. The Sociodemographic Analysis of the Sample
3.2. Vaccination Data
3.3. The Factorial Structure
3.4. Gender Invariance
3.5. The Descriptive Analysis of the Data Obtained
3.6. The Convergent and Discriminant Validity
3.7. Predictive Validity
4. Discussion
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Variables | n = 528 | |
---|---|---|
Age | 18–76 years | Mean age: 30.57 years; |
Gender | Males Females | 40.70% 59.30% |
Residence | Urban Rural | 83.70% 16.30% |
Education | Secondary studies University studies Post-university studies | 13.40% 61.60% 25.00% |
Work sector | Public Private Freelance Unemployed | 42.00% 46.27% 9.46% 2.27% |
Geographic region | Capital South-East South-West North-West | 55.30% 29.20% 12.30% 3.20% |
Models | χ2 | df | χ2/df | CFI | IFI | RMSEA (90%CI) | SRMR | AIC |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
M1 | 1256.309 | 436 | 2.88 | 0.93 | 0.93 | 0.060 [0.056–0.064] | 0.061 | 1504.309 |
M2 | 1122.739 | 406 | 2.76 | 0.94 | 0.94 | 0.058 [0.054–0.062] | 0.053 | 1364.739 |
M3 | 994.810 | 400 | 2.48 | 0.95 | 0.95 | 0.053 [0.049–0.057] | 0.051 | 1248.810 |
Items | Factor Loading | M | S.D. |
---|---|---|---|
1. Vaccines can cause long-term health issues. | 0.81 | 2.84 | 1.85 |
2. Vaccines are unsafe. | 0.86 | 2.53 | 1.66 |
3. Vaccines can cause illness. | 0.86 | 2.65 | 1.71 |
4. Vaccines can cause certain disorders. | 0.73 | 3.45 | 1.85 |
5. Vaccines cost too much. | 0.88 | 2.33 | 1.64 |
6. I am unable to get vaccines because they cost too much. | 0.68 | 1.66 | 1.26 |
7.Vaccines are too expensive. | 0.94 | 2.17 | 1.60 |
8. Without health insurance, vaccines cost too much. | 0.68 | 2.66 | 1.85 |
9. Needles bother me when receiving a vaccine. | 0.95 | 2.23 | 1.89 |
10. I worry about needles when getting a vaccine. | 0.80 | 2.20 | 1.85 |
11. Getting a vaccine hurts. | 0.30 | 4.24 | 1.69 |
12. I have a phobia of needles when receiving a vaccine. | 0.92 | 2.18 | 1.90 |
13. I am too busy to get a vaccine. | 0.66 | 1.63 | 1.16 |
14. Getting a vaccine is too much of a hassle. | 0.87 | 1.77 | 1.33 |
15. Getting a vaccine is too much trouble. | 0.88 | 1.76 | 1.35 |
16. I do not have the time to get a vaccine. | 0.77 | 1.53 | 1.09 |
17. I have allergic reactions to most vaccines. | 0.85 | 1.78 | 1.37 |
18. I am a high-risk person for having a negative reaction to vaccines. | 0.92 | 1.69 | 1.42 |
19. I am allergic to certain ingredients in vaccines. | 0.89 | 1.77 | 1.46 |
20. I have a medical condition that prevents me from getting vaccines. | 0.80 | 1.63 | 1.38 |
21. Vaccines are unavailable where I live. | 0.58 | 1.30 | 0.98 |
22. There is nowhere to get a vaccine. | 0.62 | 1.25 | 0.81 |
23. It is difficult to get a vaccine where I live. | 0.71 | 1.26 | 0.82 |
24. It is difficult to know where to get a vaccine. | 0.64 | 1.50 | 1.11 |
25. I do not need vaccines because I rarely get sick. | 0.87 | 2.20 | 1.70 |
26. My strong immune system eliminates any need for vaccines. | 0.91 | 2.10 | 1.65 |
27. I do not need vaccines because I am a low-risk person. | 0.93 | 2.01 | 1.54 |
28. People in my physical condition do not need vaccines | 0.87 | 1.77 | 1.43 |
29. Getting vaccines often slips my memory. | 0.81 | 1.90 | 1.45 |
30. I just forget about getting vaccines. | 0.85 | 1.73 | 1.47 |
31. I just never get around to getting vaccines. | 0.80 | 2.02 | 1.66 |
32. I accidentally skip getting vaccines. | 0.51 | 1.49 | 1.10 |
Model Invariance | Overall Fit Indices | Comparative Fit Indices | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
χ2 | df | χ2/df | CFI | RMSEA | Δχ2 | Δdf | ΔCFI | ΔRMSEA | |
Configural | 1699.449 | 800 | 2.12 | 0.928 | 0.046 | – | – | – | – |
Metric | 1787.958 | 823 | 2.17 | 0.922 | 0.047 | 88.509 | 23 | 0.006 | −0.001 |
Scalar | 1843.737 | 854 | 2.15 | 0.920 | 0.047 | 144.288 | 54 | 0.002 | 0.000 |
Strict | 1941.946 | 890 | 2.18 | 0.915 | 0.047 | 242.497 | 90 | 0.005 | 0.000 |
Variables | M | S.D. | Min-Max | Skewness | Kurtosis | α | ω |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Risks | 11.50 | 6.14 | 4–28 | 0.77 | −0.14 | 0.88 | 0.89 |
Costs | 8.84 | 5.43 | 4–28 | 1.21 | 0.86 | 0.86 | 0.87 |
Pain | 6.63 | 5.23 | 3–21 | 1.42 | 0.85 | 0.91 | 0.92 |
Inconvenience | 6.70 | 4.30 | 4–26 | 1.94 | 3.55 | 0.89 | 0.89 |
Reactions | 6.88 | 5.10 | 4–28 | 2.16 | 4.20 | 0.95 | 0.92 |
Access | 5.32 | 2.77 | 4–22 | 2.80 | 8.77 | 0.71 | 0.72 |
Healthy | 8.09 | 5.88 | 4–28 | 1.72 | 2.34 | 0.94 | 0.94 |
Forget | 7.15 | 4.68 | 4–25 | 1.76 | 2.63 | 0.83 | 0.85 |
Vaccine hesitancy | 65.39 | 27.50 | 31–155 | 1.10 | 0.55 | 0.93 | 0.93 |
Age Group (Years) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Vaccine Hesitancy (%) | 18–29 | 30–49 | >50 |
low | 11.90 | 11.50 | 61.30 |
moderate | 74.40 | 69.50 | 61.30 |
high | 13.80 | 19.11 | 22.70 |
Factors | CR | AVE | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Risks | 0.88 | 0.66 | 0.81 * | |||||||
Costs | 0.87 | 0.64 | 0.35 | 0.80 * | ||||||
Pain | 0.92 | 0.79 | 0.24 | 0.20 | 0.88 * | |||||
Inconvenience | 0.87 | 0.64 | 0.44 | 0.39 | 0.34 | 0.80 * | ||||
Reactions | 0.92 | 0.75 | 0.52 | 0.26 | 0.24 | 0.57 | 0.86 * | |||
Access | 0.73 | 0.41 | 0.25 | 0.32 | 0.17 | 0.48 | 0.36 | 0.64 * | ||
Healthy | 0.94 | 0.80 | 0.54 | 0.27 | 0.23 | 0.57 | 0.51 | 0.33 | 0.89 * | |
Forget | 0.83 | 0.57 | 0.35 | 0.29 | 0.25 | 0.62 | 0.36 | 0.49 | 0.58 | 0.75 * |
Constructs | β | SE | t-Value | p-Value |
---|---|---|---|---|
Risks→COVID-19 vaccine | −0.33 | 0.05 | −5.74 | 0.000 |
Costs→COVID-19 vaccine | −0.08 | 0.04 | 1.81 | 0.069 |
Pain→COVID-19 vaccine | −0.00 | 0.04 | −0.14 | 0.882 |
Inconvenience→COVID-19 vaccine | −0.02 | 0.06 | −0.36 | 0.716 |
Reactions→COVID-19 vaccine | −0.12 | 0.06 | −1.99 | 0.045 |
Access→COVID-19 vaccine | 0.09 | 0.04 | 2.07 | 0.038 |
Healthy→COVID-19 vaccine | −0.26 | 0.05 | −4.98 | 0.000 |
Forget→COVID-19 vaccine | −0.10 | 0.05 | −1.94 | 0.053 |
Constructs | β | SE | t-Value | p-Value |
---|---|---|---|---|
Risks→flu vaccine | −0.20 | 0.06 | −3.36 | 0.000 |
Costs→flu vaccine | −0.04 | 0.05 | −0.77 | 0.435 |
Pain→flu vaccine | −0.01 | 0.04 | −0.35 | 0.721 |
Inconvenience→flu vaccine | −0.04 | 0.06 | −0.62 | 0.531 |
Reactions→flu vaccine | −0.04 | 0.06 | −0.75 | 0.48 |
Access→flu vaccine | 0.11 | 0.04 | 2.22 | 0.026 |
Healthy→flu vaccine | −0.34 | 0.05 | −6.07 | 0.000 |
Forget→flu vaccine | −0.05 | 0.05 | −0.88 | 0.377 |
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Balgiu, B.A.; Sfeatcu, R.; Țâncu, A.M.C.; Imre, M.; Petre, A.; Tribus, L. The Multidimensional Vaccine Hesitancy Scale: A Validation Study. Vaccines 2022, 10, 1755. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10101755
Balgiu BA, Sfeatcu R, Țâncu AMC, Imre M, Petre A, Tribus L. The Multidimensional Vaccine Hesitancy Scale: A Validation Study. Vaccines. 2022; 10(10):1755. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10101755
Chicago/Turabian StyleBalgiu, Beatrice Adriana, Ruxandra Sfeatcu, Ana Maria Cristina Țâncu, Marina Imre, Ana Petre, and Laura Tribus. 2022. "The Multidimensional Vaccine Hesitancy Scale: A Validation Study" Vaccines 10, no. 10: 1755. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10101755