Attitudes Toward COVID-19 and COVID-19 Vaccinations Among Athletic Trainers

Purpose: Following the beginning of the pandemic brought about by the novel coronavirus which causes COVID-19, the first COVID-19 vaccination received emergency use authorization in the United States of America in December of 2020. Current research has shown the authorized COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalizations and death have a good safety profile. Additionally, the side effects associated with these vaccines are typically mild to moderate while the protection against hospitalization and severe disease is substantial. (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/adverse-events.html). At the time of this study, there appears to be a paucity in the research related to the attitudes toward COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines among athletic trainers. The purpose of this study is to describe the attitudes toward COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines among athletic trainers. Methods: A total of 186 athletic trainers (age= 43 ± 11, years of certified experience = 20 ± 11) opened and completed the survey. Participants were sent an electronic survey via email that collected demographic information and assessed attitudes toward COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Data was downloaded and analyzed using a commercially available statistics package. Results: The majority of athletic trainers surveyed had received a COVID-19 vaccination at the time of this study (94.1%, n=175). Most athletic trainers also agreed that the health of their patients was more important than disruption of their competition season due to COVID-19 (82.3%, n=153). In general, the most common reason for vaccine hesitancy was the speed with which currently available COVID-19 vaccines were developed. Conclusions: The findings of this study show the majority of surveyed athletic trainers had received a COVID-19 vaccine. The primary reason for athletic trainers not receiving a COVID-19 vaccination appeared to be the speed at which the currently available COVID-19 vaccines were developed. Given the available information on the new mRNA COVID vaccines, this may indicate a lack of education on the development of the COVID-19 vaccines. As athletic trainers continue to work in day-to-day patient care, it is imperative to determine the best methods for educating athletic trainers on the potential benefits of COVID-19 vaccinations.