High hesitancy even seen among Black health care workers, survey finds<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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WEDNESDAY, March 10, 2021 (HealthDay News) — The majority of Black Americans are not sure they will get the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the results of a new survey conducted by the RAND Corporation.<\/p>\n
Laura M. Bogart, from the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, California, and colleagues surveyed 207 self-identified Black participants (mean age, 50.8 years; 71 percent female) in the RAND American Life Panel between Nov. 17 and Dec. 2, 2020. The survey assessed levels of and reasons for vaccine hesitancy and medical mistrust.<\/p>\n
According to the results of the survey, more than one-third of survey participants overall agreed or strongly agreed that they would not get a COVID-19 vaccine. Participants in the health care field — both as health care practitioners and those in technical and support occupations — showed higher vaccine hesitancy (48 percent versus 32 percent among those not in health care). Agreement with the statement, “When it comes to COVID-19, Black people cannot trust health care providers” was associated with a lower likelihood of receiving the vaccine. Nearly six in 10 respondents (59 percent) did not believe the government could be trusted to tell the truth about COVID-19. More than half of respondents who said they would not get vaccinated were not sure about the effectiveness of the vaccine compared with one-third of respondents willing to get the vaccine.<\/p>\n
“Public health messages and communication strategies to address vaccine hesitancy should be tailored through authentic community engagement,” Bogart said in a statement. “Messaging about COVID-19 vaccines should first acknowledge systemic racism as a justifiable reason for mistrust before providing transparent information about the vaccine, including specific information about efficacy and safety.”<\/p>\n