SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Acceptance Disparity Among Israeli Defense Forces Personnel

Galina Shapiro; Maxim Bez; Tomer Talmy; Josef Daniel Shakargy; Ariel Furer; Erez Karp; David Segal

doi:10.1093/milmed/usac122

SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Acceptance Disparity Among Israeli Defense Forces Personnel

Mil Med. 2022 Apr 27:usac122. doi: 10.1093/milmed/usac122. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Galina Shapiro^{1

2}, Maxim Bez^{1

2}, Tomer Talmy^{1

2}, Josef Daniel Shakargy^{1

2}, Ariel Furer^{1

2}, Erez Karp^{1

2}, David Segal^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Medical Corps, Israel Defense Forces, Ramat Gan Military Post 02149, Israel.
² Department of Military Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Faculty of Medicine, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel.

PMID: 35475909
DOI: 10.1093/milmed/usac122

Abstract

Introduction: Promoting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine acceptance and uptake became necessary to achieve a high vaccination rate and subsequently herd immunity. Although the Israeli population has been largely acceptant of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, vaccine hesitancy has remained a major concern, especially in younger adults. We hypothesized that young adults who refused SARS-CoV-2 vaccination differed from those who have been adherent and could be characterized. Studying this specific population and recognizing individuals within this group who might be more probable to refuse vaccination can enable to target measures to further promote vaccination acceptance.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional comparison in a study population comprised of 17,435 Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) personnel who were SARS-CoV-2 vaccine eligible. This group included 14,834 vaccinated and 2,601 nonvaccinated individuals. Patient characteristics including occupational parameters, demographic features, psychotechnical grading (an intelligence assessment score), education level, and medical background were collected.

Results: The median age was 20.57 years and almost 80% were males. At the time of data collection, most individuals (85.1%, n = 14,834) have been vaccinated. Officers and noncommissioned officers were more likely to be vaccinated compared with regular soldiers (96%, and 90.2% vs. 83.3% respectively, P < .001), as well as combat battalions stationed personnel compared to their peers in rear and administrative units (89.4% vs. 78.4%, P < .001). Socioeconomic clusters were also associated with vaccination adherence, with 92.9% vs. 79.5% vaccination rates in the highest and lowest clusters, respectively (P < .001). Younger age, no previous immigration status, higher education level, and higher psychotechnical grades were also found associated with an increased likelihood of being vaccinated (P < .001).

Conclusions: In a large cohort of enlisted IDF personnel, disparity in SARS-CoV-2 vaccine adherence was found to be related to multiple socioeconomic, educational, and military service-related variables. Although some differences were substantial, others were small and of questionable public health significance. Acknowledging these differences may enable community leaders, health care providers, and administrators to target specific populations in order to further promote SARS-CoV-2 vaccination acceptance.