Emmanuel Manu, Mbuyiselo Douglas, Mawuli Komla Kushitor, Joyce Komesuor, Mary Akua Ampomah, Nicholas Obuobisa Opoku
{"title":"加纳沃尔特地区城际商业司机拒绝接种 COVID-19 疫苗的外行观念:提高疫苗接种率的建议。","authors":"Emmanuel Manu, Mbuyiselo Douglas, Mawuli Komla Kushitor, Joyce Komesuor, Mary Akua Ampomah, Nicholas Obuobisa Opoku","doi":"10.1186/s40794-023-00214-9","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The COVID-19 vaccine has faced increased hesitancy in Ghana and the Volta region in particular since its rollout. Acceptance of the vaccine among intercity commercial drivers is crucial, especially in the Volta region, as they transport people within and outside the country and could fuel the transmission of the virus if not vaccinated.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>We therefore established lay beliefs surrounding COVID-19 vaccine refusal among intercity commercial drivers in the Volta region of Ghana, as well as their recommendations for improved vaccine uptake.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We purposively interviewed twenty-five (25) intercity commercial drivers who had not been vaccinated for COVID-19 in the Volta region of Ghana using a semi-structured interview guide and analysed their responses thematically using the ATLAS.ti software.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Various (ten) beliefs surrounding COVID-19 vaccine refusal were identified. These include the nonexistence of COVID-19, being immune to COVID-19, and the belief in the nonexistence of vaccines and vaccines being meant for the sick. Other beliefs identified were the belief that the COVID-19 vaccine is meant to reduce Africa's population, that the vaccine triggers other health complications leading to death, the belief that vaccination could cause financial loss, political mistrust, that the COVID-19 vaccine is not permitted by God, and the belief that prayer prevents COVID-19 infection. They also suggested that the adoption of persuasive communication techniques, the publication of information on those who died of COVID-19, providing evidence of tests conducted on the vaccine, testing people before vaccination, provision of care to those who may experience side effects from the vaccine, and being able to explain why varied vaccines are used for the same virus could help improve vaccine uptake.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our findings show that there is a general lack of understanding and mistrust surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine among intercity commercial drivers in the Volta region. Hence, health promotion officers and communicators in the region need to be knowledgeable on the vaccine as well as on the conspiracy theories thwarting its uptake to provide comprehensive education to the public and intercity commercial drivers to improve its uptake.</p>","PeriodicalId":23303,"journal":{"name":"Tropical Diseases, Travel Medicine and Vaccines","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4000,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10905786/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"Lay beliefs of COVID-19 vaccine refusal among intercity commercial drivers in the Volta region of Ghana: recommendations for improved vaccine uptake.\",\"authors\":\"Emmanuel Manu, Mbuyiselo Douglas, Mawuli Komla Kushitor, Joyce Komesuor, Mary Akua Ampomah, Nicholas Obuobisa Opoku\",\"doi\":\"10.1186/s40794-023-00214-9\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The COVID-19 vaccine has faced increased hesitancy in Ghana and the Volta region in particular since its rollout. Acceptance of the vaccine among intercity commercial drivers is crucial, especially in the Volta region, as they transport people within and outside the country and could fuel the transmission of the virus if not vaccinated.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>We therefore established lay beliefs surrounding COVID-19 vaccine refusal among intercity commercial drivers in the Volta region of Ghana, as well as their recommendations for improved vaccine uptake.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We purposively interviewed twenty-five (25) intercity commercial drivers who had not been vaccinated for COVID-19 in the Volta region of Ghana using a semi-structured interview guide and analysed their responses thematically using the ATLAS.ti software.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Various (ten) beliefs surrounding COVID-19 vaccine refusal were identified. These include the nonexistence of COVID-19, being immune to COVID-19, and the belief in the nonexistence of vaccines and vaccines being meant for the sick. Other beliefs identified were the belief that the COVID-19 vaccine is meant to reduce Africa's population, that the vaccine triggers other health complications leading to death, the belief that vaccination could cause financial loss, political mistrust, that the COVID-19 vaccine is not permitted by God, and the belief that prayer prevents COVID-19 infection. They also suggested that the adoption of persuasive communication techniques, the publication of information on those who died of COVID-19, providing evidence of tests conducted on the vaccine, testing people before vaccination, provision of care to those who may experience side effects from the vaccine, and being able to explain why varied vaccines are used for the same virus could help improve vaccine uptake.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our findings show that there is a general lack of understanding and mistrust surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine among intercity commercial drivers in the Volta region. Hence, health promotion officers and communicators in the region need to be knowledgeable on the vaccine as well as on the conspiracy theories thwarting its uptake to provide comprehensive education to the public and intercity commercial drivers to improve its uptake.</p>\",\"PeriodicalId\":23303,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"Tropical Diseases, Travel Medicine and Vaccines\",\"volume\":null,\"pages\":null},\"PeriodicalIF\":2.4000,\"publicationDate\":\"2024-03-01\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10905786/pdf/\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"Tropical Diseases, Travel Medicine and Vaccines\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"1085\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40794-023-00214-9\",\"RegionNum\":0,\"RegionCategory\":null,\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"\",\"PubModel\":\"\",\"JCR\":\"Q3\",\"JCRName\":\"INFECTIOUS DISEASES\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Tropical Diseases, Travel Medicine and Vaccines","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40794-023-00214-9","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"INFECTIOUS DISEASES","Score":null,"Total":0}
Lay beliefs of COVID-19 vaccine refusal among intercity commercial drivers in the Volta region of Ghana: recommendations for improved vaccine uptake.
Background: The COVID-19 vaccine has faced increased hesitancy in Ghana and the Volta region in particular since its rollout. Acceptance of the vaccine among intercity commercial drivers is crucial, especially in the Volta region, as they transport people within and outside the country and could fuel the transmission of the virus if not vaccinated.
Objective: We therefore established lay beliefs surrounding COVID-19 vaccine refusal among intercity commercial drivers in the Volta region of Ghana, as well as their recommendations for improved vaccine uptake.
Methods: We purposively interviewed twenty-five (25) intercity commercial drivers who had not been vaccinated for COVID-19 in the Volta region of Ghana using a semi-structured interview guide and analysed their responses thematically using the ATLAS.ti software.
Results: Various (ten) beliefs surrounding COVID-19 vaccine refusal were identified. These include the nonexistence of COVID-19, being immune to COVID-19, and the belief in the nonexistence of vaccines and vaccines being meant for the sick. Other beliefs identified were the belief that the COVID-19 vaccine is meant to reduce Africa's population, that the vaccine triggers other health complications leading to death, the belief that vaccination could cause financial loss, political mistrust, that the COVID-19 vaccine is not permitted by God, and the belief that prayer prevents COVID-19 infection. They also suggested that the adoption of persuasive communication techniques, the publication of information on those who died of COVID-19, providing evidence of tests conducted on the vaccine, testing people before vaccination, provision of care to those who may experience side effects from the vaccine, and being able to explain why varied vaccines are used for the same virus could help improve vaccine uptake.
Conclusion: Our findings show that there is a general lack of understanding and mistrust surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine among intercity commercial drivers in the Volta region. Hence, health promotion officers and communicators in the region need to be knowledgeable on the vaccine as well as on the conspiracy theories thwarting its uptake to provide comprehensive education to the public and intercity commercial drivers to improve its uptake.
期刊介绍:
Tropical Diseases, Travel Medicine and Vaccines is an open access journal that considers basic, translational and applied research, as well as reviews and commentary, related to the prevention and management of healthcare and diseases in international travelers. Given the changes in demographic trends of travelers globally, as well as the epidemiological transitions which many countries are experiencing, the journal considers non-infectious problems including chronic disease among target populations of interest as well as infectious diseases.