Vaccine hesitancy among working-age adults with/without disability in the UK

E Emerson; V Totsika; Z Aitken; T King; R P Hastings; C Hatton; R J Stancliffe; G Llewellyn; A Kavanagh

doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2021.09.019

Vaccine hesitancy among working-age adults with/without disability in the UK

Public Health. 2021 Nov:200:106-108. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2021.09.019. Epub 2021 Oct 27.

Authors

E Emerson¹, V Totsika², Z Aitken³, T King⁴, R P Hastings⁵, C Hatton⁶, R J Stancliffe⁷, G Llewellyn⁷, A Kavanagh³

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Disability Research, Faculty of Health & Medicine, Lancaster University, UK; Centre for Disability Research & Policy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia; College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. Electronic address: eric.emerson@lancaster.ac.uk.
² Division of Psychiatry, University College London, UK; Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal and Research, University of Warwick, UK; Centre for Developmental Psychiatry and Psychology, Monash University, Australia.
³ Centre of Research Excellence in Disability and Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Disability and Health Unit, Centre for Health Equity, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁴ Disability and Health Unit, Centre for Health Equity, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁵ Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal and Research, University of Warwick, UK; Centre for Developmental Psychiatry and Psychology, Monash University, Australia.
⁶ Department of Social Care and Social Work, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK.
⁷ Centre for Disability Research & Policy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia; Centre of Research Excellence in Disability and Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Abstract

Objectives: To estimate levels of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among working-age adults with disabilities in the United Kingdom.

Study design: Cross-sectional survey.

Methods: Secondary analysis of data collected on a nationally representative sample of 10,114 respondents aged 16-64 years.

Results: The adjusted relative risk for hesitancy among respondents with a disability was 0.92 (95% CI 0.67-1.27). There were stronger associations between gender and hesitancy and ethnic status and hesitancy among participants with a disability. The most common reasons cited by people with disabilities who were hesitant were: concern about the future effects of the vaccine, not trusting vaccines and concern about the side effects of vaccination.

Conclusions: The higher rates of vaccine hesitancy among women with disabilities and among people from minority ethnic groups with disabilities are concerning.

Keywords: COVID-19; Disability; Gender; Vaccine hesitancy.

MeSH terms

Adult
COVID-19 Vaccines
COVID-19*
Cross-Sectional Studies
Disabled Persons*
Female
Humans
SARS-CoV-2
United Kingdom / epidemiology
Vaccination
Vaccines*

Substances

COVID-19 Vaccines
Vaccines