Background: Vaccination against COVID-19 is considered one of the most effective strategies to control this global public health crisis. However, vaccine hesitancy is one of the main threats to mitigating the pandemic. The present study aimed to identify predictors of intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 in 3 geographical regions of Peru.
Methods: An online analytical cross-sectional study was conducted. Participants were selected by non-probability convenience sampling and size was estimated using the online statistical calculator proposed by Soper. A total of 529 Peruvian nationals completed the questionnaires. Student's t-test and Fisher's F test (ANOVA) were used. A significance level of .05 was considered.
Results: Face-to-face work (β = 2.037, P < .001), fear of COVID-19 (β = .461, P < .001), vaccine confidence (β = 2.881, P < .001) and trust in health care institutions (β = .432, P < .01) predict a higher intention to receive the vaccine. However, the variables perception of a worldwide conspiracy (β = -1.900, P < .001), and practice Protestant religion (β = -2.274, P < .001) predict negatively their acceptance.
Conclusion: Several positive predictors of intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 have been identified. However, having a perception of a global conspiracy and practice Protestant religion are shown to be risk variables for vaccine acceptance. Therefore, there is a need to develop strategies to ensure high uptake and success of COVID-19 vaccination campaigns.
Keywords: COVID-19; COVID-19 vaccines; Peru; intention to vaccinate; vaccination hesitancy.