Improving older adults' vaccination uptake: Are existing measures of vaccine hesitancy valid and reliable for older people?

J Health Psychol. 2022 Dec;27(14):3136-3147. doi: 10.1177/13591053221089104. Epub 2022 Apr 11.

Abstract

We sought to establish whether two recently developed measures, the 5C scale and the Vaccination Attitudes Examination (VAX) were reliable and valid for use with older adults. A total of 372 UK-dwelling participants (65-92 years, M = 70.5 years, SD = 4.6) completed a cross-sectional survey measuring health and socio-demographic characteristics in relation to vaccine uptake for influenza, pneumococcal and shingles. The 5C and VAX scales were administered to test their reliability, validity and dimensionality. Both scales showed good internal reliability and convergent, discriminant and concurrent validity. Their factor structures were also confirmed, supporting their use with older adult populations.

Keywords: ageing; influenza; pneumococcal; psychometrics; shingles; vaccine hesitancy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Humans
  • Influenza Vaccines*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Vaccination
  • Vaccination Hesitancy*

Substances

  • Influenza Vaccines