https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2668-7360
Authors reply
We express our appreciation on the Letter to Editor written by Kleebayoon and Wiwanitkit,Citation1 providing critical commentary on our recent article. Titled: ”Vaccination Hesitancy in the Arab World: A Scoping Review of Prevalence and Associated Factors in the Arab world”Citation2 The letter raised a concern regarding the lack of inclusion of qualitative studies in the review.
The main aim of our scoping review was to focus on the quantitative studies related to vaccine hesitancy of COVID-19, and we clearly stated that we included the studies investigating the prevalence of COVID-19 vaccination; and/or factors associated with vaccine hesitancy (please refer to Table S4 in the main article). In fact, the inclusion of only quantitative studies in our review can be considered advantageous with a well-defined research question, precise analysis, and interpretation of the available data.
We recognize that the nuances of vaccination hesitancy within the target population may not be fully captured solely through the utilization of either quantitative or qualitative studies. However, the inclusion of qualitative data in our scoping review was beyond the scope of our pre-defined research question. It would make more sense to consider the inclusion of qualitative studies in future reviews and meta-analyses to comprehensively explore the sociocultural and behavioral influences.Citation3 We agree that embracing such an approach would yield a profound understanding of the root causes and the underlying leading factors for vaccination hesitancy. Consequently, it would set the stage for the development and implementation of effective interventions aimed at clearing misconceptions and cultivating trust, ultimately enhancing vaccine uptake across populations.Citation4
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References
- Kleebayoon A, Wiwanitkit V. Hesitancy toward vaccination against COVID-19. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2023 Aug;19(2):2257982. doi:10.1080/21645515.2023.2257982.
- Alam Z, Mohamed S, Nauman J, Al-Rifai RH, Ahmed LA, Elbarazi I. Hesitancy toward vaccination against COVID-19: a scoping review of prevalence and associated factors in the Arab world. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2023 Aug 1;19(2):2245720. doi:10.1080/21645515.2023.2245720.
- Tremblay S, Castiglione S, Audet L-A, Desmarais M, Horace M, Peláez S. Conducting qualitative research to respond to COVID-19 challenges: reflections for the present and beyond. Int J Qual Methods. 2021;20:160940692110096. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069211009679.
- Ecarnot F, Maggi S, Michel JP. Strategies to improve vaccine uptake throughout adulthood. Vaccin Older Adults. 2020;43:234–1.