Why Some People Are Hesitant to Receive COVID-19 Boosters: A Systematic Review

• Published in: Tropical medicine and infectious disease Vol. 8; no. 3; p. 159
• Main Authors: Limbu, Yam B, Huhmann, Bruce A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.03.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Analysis; booster; China; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 vaccines; Developing countries; Education; Epidemics; Ethnicity; Gender; LDCs; Males; Medical personnel; Medical research; Polls & surveys; Public health; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Systematic Review; vaccine hesitancy; Vaccines; China; South America; United States > US; Asia; North America; Europe; COVID-19; vaccine hesitancy; systematic review; booster
• ISSN: 2414-6366; 2414-6366
• DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed8030159

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues and transitions to an endemic stage, booster vaccines will play an important role in personal and public health. However, convincing people to take boosters continues to be a key obstacle. This study systematically analyzed research that examined the predictors of COVID-19 booster vaccine hesitancy. A search of PubMed, Medline, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Scopus uncovered 42 eligible studies. Globally, the average COVID-19 booster vaccination hesitancy rate was 30.72%. Thirteen key factors influencing booster hesitancy emerged from the literature: demographics (gender, age, education, income, occupation, employment status, ethnicity, and marital status), geographical influences (country, region, and residency), adverse events, perceived benefit/efficacy, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, prior history of COVID-19 infection, vaccination status, vaccination recommendations, health status, knowledge and information, skepticism/distrust/conspiracy theories, and vaccine type. Vaccine communication campaigns and interventions for COVID boosters should focus on factors influencing booster confidence, complacency, and convenience.