Abstract
Purpose: Minority populations in the United States (U.S.) have lower COVID-19 vaccination rates compared to the overall U.S. vaccination rates. COVID-19 vaccination rates in the United States are 81% for all races and ethnicities combined, while the vaccination rate for those identifying as Hispanic or Latino is 67%. This has not significantly improved from a 29% rate of vaccine hesitancy among those who identified as Hispanic in 2021. Community-engaged research has been found to be effective in identifying and understanding factors related to vaccine hesitancy and the broad reach of public libraries provides unique opportunities for outreach efforts to ameliorate health disparities.
Methods: We partnered with a local public library’s Hispanic Heritage event. The purpose of this project was to explore barriers, beliefs, and concerns of Hispanic, or Latino persons in a rural southeastern United States community about vaccinations. University IRB approval was obtained. We set up a table at the event and provided vaccine education and awareness via handouts in Spanish and English, as well as verbal information. Participants over the age of 18 years were invited to complete an 18-item survey including questions regarding whether they received COVID-19 vaccines, their opinion of COVID-19 safety, difficulty obtaining a vaccine, as well as general demographic information.
Results: Participants (n=153) completed a Qualtrics© survey. Results showed many (63%) felt getting a COVID-19 vaccine to protect them against COVID-19 was very important. Regarding how safe they thought a COVID-19 vaccine is, 30% felt it is completely safe, and 12% felt it is not at all safe. Regarding trust, 43% fully trust the healthcare providers who give/gave them a COVID-19 vaccine. If guessing about how many of their family and friends received a COVID-19 vaccine, 36% reported almost all, and 1% none. Regarding access, 65% reported it was not difficult to get the vaccine, with 76% reporting having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In response to how likely they are to get a COVID-19 vaccine in the future, 44% reported they would definitely not get a vaccine.
Conclusion: More activities are needed that 1) improve vaccination rates, 2) increase vaccine confidence and demand, and 3) address barriers and concerns. These activities must be culturally sensitive and appropriate and incorporate educational opportunities that can be readily accepted by this population.
Notes
References:
Callaghan, T. (2023). Vaccine Uptake and Hesitancy in Rural America in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic. American Journal of Public Health, 113(6), 615–617. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2023.307305
Health equity Tracker. (October 2024).Investigate rates of COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United States.Retrieved from: https://healthequitytracker.org/exploredata?mls=1.covid_vaccinations-3.00
Ignacio, M., Oesterle, S., Mercado, M., Carver, A., Lopez, G., Wolfersteig, W., Ayers, S., Ki, S., Hamm, K., Parthasarathy, S., Berryhill, A., Evans, L., Sabo, S., & Doubeni, C. (2023). Narratives from African American/Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Hispanic/Latinx community members in Arizona to enhance COVID-19 vaccine and vaccination uptake. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 46(1/2), 140–152. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-022-00300-x
Khubchandani, J., Sharma, S., Price, J. H., Wiblishauser, M. J., Sharma, M., & Webb, F. J. (2021). COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy in the United States: A Rapid National Assessment. Journal of Community Health, 46(2), 270–277. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-020-00958-x
Kirson, N., Swallow, E., Lu, J., Foroughi, C., Bookhart, B., DeMartino, J. K., Maynard, J., Shivdasani, Y., Eid, D., & Lefebvre, P. (2022). Increasing COVID-19 vaccination in the United States: projected impact on cases, hospitalizations, and deaths by age and racial group. Public Health (Elsevier), 210, 99–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2022.06.019
Philbin, M. M., Parker, C. M., Flaherty, M. G., & Hirsch, J. S. (2019). Public libraries: A community-level resource to advance population health. Journal of Community Health, 44, 192-199.
Sigma Membership
Epsilon Omega
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Health Equity or Social Determinants of Health, Public and Community Health, Primary Care, Rural Communities, Minority Populations, COVID-19 Vaccination Rates, United States
Recommended Citation
Brown, Janet; Bray Dayton, Leigh Ann; and Rogers, Kimberly, "Vaccine Hesitancy in Rural Southeastern United States" (2025). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 267.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2025/presentations_2025/267
Conference Name
36th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Vaccine Hesitancy in Rural Southeastern United States
Seattle, Washington, USA
Purpose: Minority populations in the United States (U.S.) have lower COVID-19 vaccination rates compared to the overall U.S. vaccination rates. COVID-19 vaccination rates in the United States are 81% for all races and ethnicities combined, while the vaccination rate for those identifying as Hispanic or Latino is 67%. This has not significantly improved from a 29% rate of vaccine hesitancy among those who identified as Hispanic in 2021. Community-engaged research has been found to be effective in identifying and understanding factors related to vaccine hesitancy and the broad reach of public libraries provides unique opportunities for outreach efforts to ameliorate health disparities.
Methods: We partnered with a local public library’s Hispanic Heritage event. The purpose of this project was to explore barriers, beliefs, and concerns of Hispanic, or Latino persons in a rural southeastern United States community about vaccinations. University IRB approval was obtained. We set up a table at the event and provided vaccine education and awareness via handouts in Spanish and English, as well as verbal information. Participants over the age of 18 years were invited to complete an 18-item survey including questions regarding whether they received COVID-19 vaccines, their opinion of COVID-19 safety, difficulty obtaining a vaccine, as well as general demographic information.
Results: Participants (n=153) completed a Qualtrics© survey. Results showed many (63%) felt getting a COVID-19 vaccine to protect them against COVID-19 was very important. Regarding how safe they thought a COVID-19 vaccine is, 30% felt it is completely safe, and 12% felt it is not at all safe. Regarding trust, 43% fully trust the healthcare providers who give/gave them a COVID-19 vaccine. If guessing about how many of their family and friends received a COVID-19 vaccine, 36% reported almost all, and 1% none. Regarding access, 65% reported it was not difficult to get the vaccine, with 76% reporting having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In response to how likely they are to get a COVID-19 vaccine in the future, 44% reported they would definitely not get a vaccine.
Conclusion: More activities are needed that 1) improve vaccination rates, 2) increase vaccine confidence and demand, and 3) address barriers and concerns. These activities must be culturally sensitive and appropriate and incorporate educational opportunities that can be readily accepted by this population.
Description
This community-engaged project utilized a partnership with a local library and cross-sectional survey methodology to explore the attitudes of adults who identify as Hispanic or Latino and reside in a rural community toward COVID 19 vaccination.