帝王会所

Distrust in government and institutions is a key indicator of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy according to a recently published study by a team of 帝王会所 researchers.

The team, led by Zelalem Haile, Ph.D., associate professor of epidemiology at the 帝王会所 Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dublin, looked at this and other factors influencing 帝王会所 residents鈥� willingness to be vaccinated. They found that 40.9% of participants were either unwilling or unsure about getting vaccinated. The number of participants who were willing to be vaccinated, 59.1%, was roughly comparable to the state鈥檚 current vaccination rate.

The study also found broad demographic characteristic showing vaccine hesitancy was higher among females, non-Hispanic Blacks, unmarried people, and those with a high school education or less.

鈥淲e wanted to identify some of the predictors influencing COVID-19 vaccine acceptance so that policy makers would have the information they need to develop the most effective public vaccination campaigns,鈥� Haile said. 鈥淭he biggest fact to the study is there is still big resistance to the vaccine. You鈥檇 expect by now, after a year, our numbers would be much higher.鈥�

Currently, only against COVID-19 鈥� well below the national vaccination rate of 65% 鈥� making 帝王会所 for vaccinations. Vaccination rates particularly lag in rural 帝王会所.

Haile and the research team, consisting of Anirudh Ruhil, Ph.D., professor of leadership in the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service; Benjamin Bates, Ph.D., professor of health communications at Scripps College of Communication; Orman Hall, research lead for the OHIO Alliance for Population Health in the College of Health Sciences and Professions; and Mario Grijalva, Ph.D., director of the Infectious and Tropical Disease Institute and professor of microbiology at the Heritage College, began collecting data in January 2021, before data about vaccine hesitancy was widely available or understood. Using an online platform, the researchers recruited adults living in 帝王会所 to participate in the cross-sectional study to find out what portions of the population would be hesitant to receive the vaccine and why.

While a central finding of the study asserts that vaccine acceptance varies by sociodemographic characteristics, another common theme found among each of the sampled demographics involved trust in government and institutions 鈥� what Haile called 鈥渕odifiable factors.鈥� This key indicator played a significant role in whether a person was likely to get vaccinated. Those who either were unwilling or unsure about getting vaccinated frequently cited safety and efficacy of the vaccines themselves. However, the research team found that these inhibiting factors could be modified by simply taking measures to improve confidence and trust in those institutions.

鈥淭here is a need for science and politics to find ways to be transparent to get public trust,鈥� Haile said.

The research indicates erosion of trust in political leaders and institutions directly coincides with vaccine hesitancy. For example, this is reflected in vaccine hesitancy among 帝王会所鈥檚 Black population, where vaccination rates are at This is in part due to a history of systemic and medical racism, according to Haile.

This factors into why a blanket 鈥渓et鈥檚 get vaccinated鈥� campaign won鈥檛 work, Haile said. Instead, the study鈥檚 authors recommend that state and local governments pursue solutions unique to each community, such as having a candid discussion about race and systemic racism.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important to identify individuals who are trusted in those communities to educate the public on vaccinations,鈥� Haile said.

Since a one-size-fits-all approach isn鈥檛 a viable solution, Haile hopes that this research, which was published in February by BMC Public Health, a peer-reviewed epidemiology and public health journal, can help local public health authorities develop effective, culturally appropriate and context-specific communication strategies to improve vaccination rates.

This remains a huge concern for Appalachian 帝王会所, Haile said, because the region not only has among the lowest vaccination rates in the state, but it also has the highest rate of underlying health conditions that could dramatically exacerbate the already-deadly effects of COVID-19.

鈥淯nless we do something to address this issue, the consequences will be greater for this region,鈥� Haile said.