COVID-19 vaccine intentions and attitudes in Black American emerging adults with asthma.

BACKGROUND: Emerging adults (aged 18-29) are less likely to receive the COVID-19 vaccine than any other adult age group. Black Americans are less likely than non-Hispanic white Americans to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. This study explored factors which affect vaccine intention and attitudes in Black American emerging adults with asthma. METHODS: Participants were recruited from an NHLBI-funded clinical trial to improve asthma control. Fifty-nine Black American emerging adults completed a Qualtrics survey that assessed asthma control, intention to vaccinate, and factors which may affect the decision to vaccinate. Twenty-five participants also completed a semi-structured interview via Zoom. Bivariate correlations and descriptive statistics, including Chi Square analyses, were run using SPSS. Interview thematic analyses were conducted via QDA Miner. RESULTS: Of the 59 Black American emerging adults with asthma who completed surveys, 32.2% responded that they were highly unlikely to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, while 50.8% responded that they were highly likely to receive it. Increased asthma control was significantly correlated with a higher likelihood to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine with their healthcare provider (ρ = 0.339, α = 0.011). Concerns about immediate (ρ= -0.261, α = 0.050) and long-term (ρ= -0.280, α = 0.035) side effects were inversely correlated with intention to vaccinate. Only 17% of the participants who were unemployed stated that they were highly likely to receive the vaccines compared to 65% of the participants who were employed; however, interview participants who were unemployed stated not needing the vaccine because they were protecting themselves by social distancing. When deciding whether to receive the vaccine, safety, efficacy, and immediate side effects were the top three factors for 91%, 54%, and 49% of the participants, respectively. Beliefs about the vaccines' safety and efficacy, information gathering, personal factors, and societal factors emerged as important themes from the interviews. CONCLUSION: Only half of the surveyed Black American emerging adults with asthma were highly likely to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Safety and efficacy were important for the majority of the participants, regardless of vaccine intention. Greater asthma control, but not access to asthma-related healthcare, was correlated with intention to discuss the vaccine with their healthcare provider.

MICEAL Black and Latinx Perspectives on COVID-19 Vaccination: A Mixed-Methods Examination.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the differences and similarities in perceptions and attitudes regarding COVID-19 vaccination among Black and Latinx Michiganders. METHODS: Utilizing a convergent mixed-methods approach, forty interviews were conducted with 24 Black and 16 Latinx community members between December 2020 and June 2021 across four Michigan counties disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Survey data were collected from a representative sample of 1598 individuals living in Detroit between January and March 2021. RESULTS: Vaccine hesitancy was a more prevalent theme among Black interview participants than Latinx participants. Trust in experts and vaccine access were significantly more influential in the decision to vaccinate for Latinx residents compared to Black residents. Latinx individuals reported greater intention to receive a COVID-19 vaccine compared to Black respondents. Multinomial logit models revealed that 30% of Black participants expressed hesitancy about the COVID-19 vaccine compared to 10% of Latinx respondents. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: This study provides a deeper understanding of key differences and similarities in vaccine acceptance/hesitancy across race/ethnicity. The findings can enhance health interventions and outcomes by informing the development of culturally responsive practices tailored to specific communities.