Attitudes toward COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake: A Qualitative Study of Mostly Immigrant Racial/Ethnic Minority Older Adults
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Participants
2.2. Procedure
- What is your attitude towards the vaccines released for COVID-19?
- Are you willing to be vaccinated in the coming months?
- Some people don’t want to get the vaccine. Why do you think that is?
2.3. Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Sample Overview
3.2. Theme 1: Most Older Adults Showed Mixed Attitudes toward the COVID-19 Vaccine, Strongly Associated with Trust or Mistrust toward the Host Country’s Healthcare System, as Well as Information or Misinformation They Deemed True
- P5 (Chinese): “I think it is good. People should trust it. Everyone should quickly get vaccinated. In that way, I would feel safer and don’t have to worry about going outside… This [COVID-19] has already happened. We should face it. What else can we do to fix it? The solution now is to get vaccinated and trust scientifically based remedies.”
- P25 (White): “I’ve gotten my vaccine, and I feel it has given me some freedom. I trust that the vaccine is good.”
- P50 (Latinx): “I am vaccinated, and I feel, inside, safer or more relaxed […].”
- P3 (Black): “There’s a lot of seniors I know they said they’re using them as guinea pigs. You know, that’s why I think they don’t want to get it.”
- P29 (Latinx): “They don’t believe in the vaccine. They think it’s a game, that that’s a lie.”
- P17 (Other): “A lot of people think it’s like a poison you’re putting in their arm.”
- P70 (Chinese): “They may be just afraid that the vaccines are not reliable.”
- P35 (White): “You know, we-were guinea pigs here. I think they’re poison.”
3.3. Theme 2: Health Concerns and Underlying Medical Conditions Were the Most Influential Factors in the Decision-Making Process of Older Adults about the COVID-19 Vaccine
3.3.1. Theme 2.1: Some Older Adults Are Getting Vaccinated Because They Are Afraid to Contract the Virus and Experience Its Associated Symptoms
- P1 (American Indian): “No, I’m gonna take it anyway because I don’t want to get sick, with people around the school and everything.”
- P79 (Chinese): “I am willing to be vaccinated because the vaccine can increase my immunity against the virus. It should be good for my health, and it is protective. After being vaccinated, at least I won’t get sick, or even if I get the virus, the symptoms will be milder.”
- P57 (Latinx): “Vaccination because if you get COVID, it doesn’t hit you as hard, and you can survive.”
3.3.2. Theme 2.2: Some Older Adults Hesitate to Get Vaccinated Because They Fear the Possible Side Effects of the Vaccine and How Potential Side Effects Might Affect Their Current Medical Conditions
- P7 (Chinese): “I am afraid that I might have bad reactions after I get vaccinated. I am worried that the vaccine might worsen my health.”
- P19 (Latinx): “(People are afraid of getting the vaccine) Because people die, they see that they are dying after getting this vaccine.”
- P22 (White): “Yes, because of my personal medical history. I always get very sick when I get a viral illness, or I’ve gotten other vaccines, so I was hesitant because of that.”
- P7 (Chinese): “I saw it from the newspaper or other places that some people died because of the bad reactions they had after vaccination.”
- P56 (Latinx): “I am almost decided not to get it, but if I have no choice, I’ll get it. Also, I’m allergic […] to various medications. I need to be thoroughly tested, and if I don’t have a choice, I’ll get it.”
- P51 (Latinx): “I think it’s for fear that they have a bad reaction and die. The real fear is of dying.”
3.4. Theme 3: Older Adults Underlined Systemic Barriers and Trusted People’s Attitudes and Circles as Additional Factors Influencing Vaccine Uptake
3.4.1. Theme 3.1: Communication with Healthcare Providers, Religious Leaders, and Family Members Influence Older Adults’ Decision-Making on the Uptake of the COVID-19 Vaccine
3.4.2. Theme 3.2: Chinese Participants Mentioned Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine to Habitually Comply with Government Policy
- P72 (Chinese): “I think Chinese people are used to listening to the Communist Party anyway. They are more obedient. For example, if they want you to be vaccinated, I’d say that you may die anyway, no matter whether you get vaccinated or not. […] I still believe in government and believe in science. […] It seems that Americans are used to freedom. They are like this. Chinese people are more obedient.”
- P86 (Chinese): “The government asked us to vaccinate, so we did it to support their policies.”
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Descriptor | n (%) |
---|---|
Age | |
60–64 | 4 (4.00%) |
65–74 | 35 (35.00%) |
75+ | 61 (61.00%) |
Gender | |
Female | 84 (84.00%) |
Male | 16 (16.00%) |
Place of birth | |
Outside the United States | 82 (82.00%) |
United States | 18 (18.00%) |
Race or ethnicity | |
Chinese | 48 (48.00%) |
Latinx | 30 (30.00%) |
White | 11 (11.00%) |
Black | 5 (5.00%) |
Other | 5 (5.00%) |
American Indian | 1 (1.00%) |
United States state or territory | |
Massachusetts | 71 (71.00%) |
New York | 16 (16.00%) |
Florida | 7 (7.00%) |
Puerto Rico | 6 (6.00%) |
Language of conducted interview | |
Spanish | 31 (31.00%) |
Mandarin | 28 (28.00%) |
English | 21 (21.00%) |
Cantonese | 20 (20.00%) |
Factors Deterring Vaccine Uptake | Illustrative Quote |
---|---|
Accessibility | “From the city, they were supposed to come to give me the vaccine. They didn’t come. I called this week, and I was told they still don’t know. The other agency where my kids put me on the list called and said to be on the lookout because they would call to come to give me the vaccine. They haven’t come, either. […] Those of us who are bedridden need someone to come give us our vaccine in bed, and they’ve forgotten about us.” (P61, Latinx). |
Fear of government control | “There are many people who say that this is a chip that they put in you.” (P27, Other). |
Misinformation | “Because of people’s comments, the news that it was going to cause some effects to many people. I even heard that for couples that got the vaccine, the woman would not be able to have children. They would say many things that scared you.” (P31, Latinx). |
Factors Facilitating Vaccine Uptake | Illustrative Quote |
---|---|
Others getting vaccinated | “I saw the President got vaccinated too, so I got it myself. And whoever got the vaccination had no issues, so I got vaccinated myself.” (P46, Chinese). |
Return to social life | “[…], that’s why I got the shot. I hope that within the next couple of months they’ll open back more, like the library, and stuff like that, so we can get out more.” (P43, White). |
Travel | “I want to travel-I want to I want to go home, to my other home, and the only way I can do that safely is to get vaccinated.” (P4, Black). |
Attitudes Influencing Vaccine Uptake | Illustrative Quote |
---|---|
Familial intervention | “I felt that [my daughters], that they wanted me to get vaccinated […]. I don’t have any reason to make my daughters suffer. […] and I told him, well I accept it, and yes, I did get vaccinated.” (P53, Latinx). |
“My eldest son doesn’t want me to get vaccinated. He tells me no, he tells me mom, not that.” (P24, Latinx). | |
“And plus, my kids were concerned about me not having the shot they were encouraging me to take it.” (P40, White) | |
Physician’s guidance | “So, I was afraid to get the vaccine because of my cancer. But then I sought information with [name], Dr. [name]. I called her, and she guided me. She told me that I was fine to get it. I talked to my cancer doctor. He said I was fine. I should get it. So, I said OK. Now I’m going to get it [the COVID-19 vaccine].” (P31, Latinx). |
“What do I think about the vaccine? I don’t trust them at all, and neither do my doctors. […] My doctor didn’t want me to [get vaccinated] because she wanted me to wait for a certain vaccination that was supposed to be coming here, but it’s taking too long. So now, she said I have to get vaccinated by the ones here that she feels are very bad for me, […]. If you read the science of it that is never put out there, but I’ve read it from doctor’s note—it’s so dangerous for people, their neurological and coronary conditions.” (P35, White). | |
“Well, the doctor gave it [the vaccine] confidently, more or less confidently.” (P58, Latinx). | |
“For example, my wife was against the vaccine, but she’s now following the rules that the doctor told her.” (P54, Latinx) | |
Religion and religious leaders | “I saw in the news a cult, a church that the minister or I don’t know what he was, he told the followers not to get the vaccine.” (P59, Latinx). |
“Churches have a lot to do with it. Yes. Because a lady says, ‘my church says no, that [the vaccine] is not necessary’.” (P16, Latinx). | |
“I got the vaccine with faith in the Lord, in God, that nothing is going to happen to me, and I will get all the ones that they give me. […] I’m not scared. I got it very calmly, with faith.” (P62, Latinx) |
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Share and Cite
Valero-Martínez, C.; Martínez-Rivera, C.; Zhen-Duan, J.; Fukuda, M.; Alegría, M. Attitudes toward COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake: A Qualitative Study of Mostly Immigrant Racial/Ethnic Minority Older Adults. Geriatrics 2023, 8, 17. https://doi.org/10.3390/geriatrics8010017
Valero-Martínez C, Martínez-Rivera C, Zhen-Duan J, Fukuda M, Alegría M. Attitudes toward COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake: A Qualitative Study of Mostly Immigrant Racial/Ethnic Minority Older Adults. Geriatrics. 2023; 8(1):17. https://doi.org/10.3390/geriatrics8010017
Chicago/Turabian StyleValero-Martínez, Carla, Christopher Martínez-Rivera, Jenny Zhen-Duan, Marie Fukuda, and Margarita Alegría. 2023. "Attitudes toward COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake: A Qualitative Study of Mostly Immigrant Racial/Ethnic Minority Older Adults" Geriatrics 8, no. 1: 17. https://doi.org/10.3390/geriatrics8010017