Reasons for COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Black Americans

Lack of trust in American institutions and fear of side effects were among the top-cited reasons driving COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Black Americans, according to findings published in the American Journal of Health Promotion.

Researchers conducted a mixed methods study “to determine reasons for hesitancy towards COVID-19 vaccination and motivators to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake among Black Americans.”

Eighteen participants who were 20-79 years of age and identified as “vaccine hesitant” were interviewed through Zoom between March 2021 and April 2021. The top-cited reasons for vaccine hesitancy included:

• lack of trust in the government, health care, or pharmaceutical companies (n=18);
• rushed development (n=14);
• fear of side effects (n=12);
• history of medical mistreatment (n=12); and
• a perception of low risk of disease (n=9).

The main motivators behind COVID-19 vaccine uptake were more data (n=17), friends and family getting vaccinated (n=11), and increased opportunities following vaccination (n=8).

“There were many reasons for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, as reported by participants who were all Black Americans in the Boston area,” authors said. “The public health challenge of increasing vaccine uptake in the Black community is nuanced and intervention efforts may be more successful if delivered by trusted members of the community and tailored to the needs of individuals.”

Reference:
Sekimitsu S, Simon J, Lindsley MM, et al. Exploring COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy amongst Black Americans: Contributing factors and motivators. Am J Health Promot. Published online May 3, 2022. doi:10.1177/08901171221099270