Determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in a high infection-rate country: a cross-sectional study in Russia

Van D Tran; Tatiana V Pak; Elena I Gribkova; Galina A Galkina; Ekaterina E Loskutova; Valeria V Dorofeeva; Rebecca S Dewey; Kien T Nguyen; Duy T Pham

doi:10.18549/PharmPract.2021.1.2276

Determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in a high infection-rate country: a cross-sectional study in Russia

Pharm Pract (Granada). 2021 Jan-Mar;19(1):2276. doi: 10.18549/PharmPract.2021.1.2276. Epub 2021 Mar 22.

Authors

Van D Tran¹, Tatiana V Pak², Elena I Gribkova³, Galina A Galkina⁴, Ekaterina E Loskutova⁵, Valeria V Dorofeeva⁶, Rebecca S Dewey⁷, Kien T Nguyen⁸, Duy T Pham⁹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Drug Administration, Faculty of Pharmacy & Department of Traditional Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy. Can Tho (Vietnam). tvde@ctump.edu.vn.
² Department of Management and Economics of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University). Moscow (Russia). pak-tv@rudn.ru.
³ Department of Management and Economics of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University). Moscow (Russia). gribkova-ei@rudn.ru.
⁴ Department of Management and Economics of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University). Moscow (Russia). gg-2005@mail.ru.
⁵ Department of Management and Economics of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University). Moscow (Russia). loskutova-ee@rudn.ru.
⁶ Department of Management and Economics of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University). Moscow (Russia). dorofeeva_vv@rudn.ru.
⁷ Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham. Nottingham (United Kingdom). Rebecca.Dewey@nottingham.ac.uk.
⁸ Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy. Can Tho (Vietnam). ntkien@ctump.edu.vn.
⁹ Department of Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Can Tho University. Can Tho (Vietnam). pdtoan@ctu.edu.vn.

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 vaccine development is proceeding at an unprecedented pace. Once COVID-19 vaccines become widely available, it will be necessary to maximize public vaccine acceptance and coverage.

Objective: This research aimed to analyze the predictors of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in Russia.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among Russian adults from September 26^th to November 9^th, 2020. Predictors of the intent to take up COVID-19 vaccination were explored using logistic regression.

Results: Out of 876 participants, 365 (41.7%) would be willing to receive the vaccine if it became available. Acceptance increased for a vaccine with verified safety and effectiveness (63.2%). Intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine was relatively higher among males (aOR=2.37, 95% CI 1.41-4.00), people with lower monthly income (aOR=2.94, 95%CI 1.32-6.57), and with positive trust in the healthcare system (aOR=2.73, 95% CI 1.76-4.24). The Russian people were more likely to accept the COVID-19 vaccine if they believed that the vaccine reduces the risk of virus infection (aOR=8.80, 95%CI 5.21-14.87) or relieves the complications of the disease (aOR=10.46, 95%CI 6.09-17.96). Other barriers such as being unconcerned about side-effects (aOR=1.65, 95%CI 1.03-2.65) and the effectiveness and safety of the vaccination (aOR=2.55, 95%CI 1.60-4.08), also affected acceptance.

Conclusions: The study showed the usefulness of the health belief model constructs in understanding the COVID-19 vaccination acceptance rate in the Russian population. This rate was influenced by sociodemographic and health-related characteristics, and health beliefs. These findings might help guide future efforts for policymakers and stakeholders to improve vaccination rates by enhancing trust in the healthcare system.

Keywords: Attitude; Attitudes; COVID-19; COVID-19 Vaccines; Health Knowledge; Immunization Programs; Multivariate Analysis; Pandemics; Practice; Russia; SARS-CoV-2; Surveys and Questionnaires; Vaccination; Vaccination Refusal.