Predictors of COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake and Reasons for Vaccine Hesitancy Among New York State Refugees

ABSTRACT

Purpose

Resettled refugees in the U.S. face a disproportionately high risk of COVID-19 exposure, infection, and death. This study examines COVID-19 vaccination status among adult participants and their minor children, reasons for vaccine hesitancy, and predictors of vaccine uptake, as well as sources of COVID-19 news and information and trust in those sources.

Method

The data in this study were drawn from the Telehealth and COVID-19 Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices in New York Refugee Communities Survey (N = 353), conducted March-May, 2022.

Results

The multivariate results indicate that in this sample of resettled refugees, those who reported higher levels of educational attainment, were from Afghanistan, and those who had fewer concerns about the vaccine were more likely to accept vaccination. The participants in this study identified local health workers, clinics, and community organizations – places where social workers are present – as both the largest source of nonsocial media COVID-19 news and information and the most trusted source of COVID-19 news and information.

Discussion

The implications from this study provide social workers with an understanding of the social and behavioral factors impacting vaccine uptake in refugee communities.

Conclusion

According to the NASW Code of Ethics, social workers must challenge inequalities that persist against marginalized groups, such as racial and ethnic health disparities. Social work practitioners can play an essential role in decreasing unjust health disparities by providing accurate, culturally appropriate information on public health concerns such as COVID-19 to their refugee clients and within interprofessional collaboration.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19 health disparities
• vaccine hesitancy
• vaccine uptake
• refugees
• resettled refugees

Declarations

This study was supported by the University at Albany’s Differential Impacts of COVID-19 in NYS: Second Round Seed Funding Grant.

The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

This study was approved by the University at Albany’s institutional review board.

Data, materials, and/or code from this study are not publicly available but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Differential Impacts of COVID-19 in NYS: Second Round Seed Funding.