Acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination and influencing factors among people living with HIV in Guangxi, China: a cross-sectional survey

Jinming Su; Zhenwei Jia; Xinwei Wang; Fengxiang Qin; Rongfeng Chen; Yuting Wu; Beibei Lu; Chunlin Lan; Tongxue Qin; Yinlu Liao; Minjuan Shi; Yanyan Liao; Peijiang Pan; Li Ye; Junjun Jiang; Hao Liang

doi:10.1186/s12879-022-07452-w

Acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination and influencing factors among people living with HIV in Guangxi, China: a cross-sectional survey

BMC Infect Dis. 2022 May 16;22(1):471. doi: 10.1186/s12879-022-07452-w.

Authors

Jinming Su^#^{1

2}, Zhenwei Jia^#², Xinwei Wang², Fengxiang Qin², Rongfeng Chen^{1

2}, Yuting Wu², Beibei Lu², Chunlin Lan², Tongxue Qin², Yinlu Liao², Minjuan Shi², Yanyan Liao^{1

2}, Peijiang Pan^{1

2}, Li Ye^{3

4}, Junjun Jiang^{5

6}, Hao Liang^{7

8}

Affiliations

¹ Biosafety Level-3 Laboratory and Joint Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases in China (Guangxi)-ASEAN, Life Sciences Institute, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China.
² Guangxi Key Laboratory of AIDS Prevention and Treatment, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China.
³ Biosafety Level-3 Laboratory and Joint Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases in China (Guangxi)-ASEAN, Life Sciences Institute, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China. yeli@gxmu.edu.cn.
⁴ Guangxi Key Laboratory of AIDS Prevention and Treatment, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China. yeli@gxmu.edu.cn.
⁵ Biosafety Level-3 Laboratory and Joint Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases in China (Guangxi)-ASEAN, Life Sciences Institute, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China. jiangjunjun@gxmu.edu.cn.
⁶ Guangxi Key Laboratory of AIDS Prevention and Treatment, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China. jiangjunjun@gxmu.edu.cn.
⁷ Biosafety Level-3 Laboratory and Joint Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases in China (Guangxi)-ASEAN, Life Sciences Institute, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China. lianghao@gxmu.edu.cn.
⁸ Guangxi Key Laboratory of AIDS Prevention and Treatment, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China. lianghao@gxmu.edu.cn.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: Vaccination has been proven to be an effective approach against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aimed to determine the acceptance rate and factors influencing acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination among people living with HIV (PLWH) in Guangxi, China.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in five cities in Guangxi, China from May 7 to June 1, 2021. Questionnaires on the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination and the related factors were conducted among PLWH recruited by simple random sampling. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination.

Results: Of all valid respondents (n = 903), 72.9% (n = 658) were willing to receive COVID-19 vaccination. Fear of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection was the main reason for being willing to receive vaccination (76.0%), while the main reasons for not willing were the concerns about vaccine safety (54.7%) and the vaccination's effect on antiretroviral therapy (ART) (50.6%). The most important factors influencing acceptance were the perception that vaccination is unsafe for HIV-infected people (aOR = 0.082, 95% CI = 0.024-0.282) and the poor efficacy in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection in HIV-infected people (aOR = 0.093, 95% CI = 0.030-0.287). Other factors associated with acceptance included Zhuang ethnicity (aOR = 1.653, 95% CI = 1.109-2.465), highest education level of middle school, high school or above (aOR = 1.747, 95% CI = 1.170-2.608; aOR = 2.492, 95% CI = 1.326-4.682), and the vaccination having little effect on ART efficacy (aOR = 2.889, 95% CI = 1.378-6.059).

Conclusions: Acceptance rate of the COVID-19 vaccination is relatively low among PLWH compared to the general population in China, although some patients refused vaccination due to concerns about vaccine safety and vaccination affecting ART efficacy. More research is needed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 vaccines on ART efficacy and the effectiveness in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection among PLWH.

Keywords: Acceptance; COVID-19; HIV/AIDS; SARS-CoV-2; Vaccine.

MeSH terms

COVID-19 Vaccines
COVID-19* / epidemiology
COVID-19* / prevention & control
China / epidemiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
HIV Infections*
Humans
SARS-CoV-2
Surveys and Questionnaires
Vaccination

Substances

COVID-19 Vaccines