[Psychometric properties of two surveys about beliefs towards vaccines in general and SARS-CoV-2 vaccine]. / Escala de creencias hacia las vacunas y hacia la vacuna contra el SARS-CoV-2: Evidencia de sus propiedades psicométricas.

BACKGROUND: Negative beliefs about vaccines can threaten herd immunity and pandemic control. Although beliefs about vaccines influence vaccination intention, there are no valid instruments that evaluate this in the Latin American population. AIM: To evaluate the psychometric properties of two scales that measure negative beliefs towards vaccines in general and against SARS-CoV-2 and provide evidence of their association with vaccination intention (convergent validity) in a Chilean sample. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two studies were carried out. The first included 263 people who answered the beliefs towards vaccines in general scale (CV-G) and the beliefs towards the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine scale (CV-COVID). Exploratory factor analyses were conducted. In the second study, 601 people answered the same scales. Confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modeling were performed to provide evidence of validity. RESULTS: Both scales had an unifactorial structure and excellent reliability and showed associations with the intention of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, providing evidence of convergent validity. CONCLUSIONS: The scales evaluated here are reliable and valid measures that showed associations with vaccination intention in the Chilean population.

Predictors of COVID-19 Vaccine Intention: Evidence from Chile, Mexico, and Colombia.

(1) Background: Although the evidence is consistent that vaccines for COVID-19 effectively prevent severe illness or death, the rapid development of vaccines has led to increased beliefs about possible negative consequences and conspiracy theories about the vaccine. Several factors influence whether or not people decide to be vaccinated. Some studies suggest that our perception of what significant others do and think influences our behavior. (2) Methods: This study evaluates the predictive role of beliefs about negative consequences of the COVID-19 vaccine, conspiracy beliefs about this vaccine, and social influence on the intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 in three Latin American and Caribbean countries: Chile, Mexico, and Colombia. Using convenience sampling, 2075 adults from Chile (48.3%), Mexico (27.6%), and Colombia (24.6%) participated by answering an online questionnaire with variables of interest. (3) Results: Despite the differences between countries, the results showed that the proposed model is invariant and explains between 56-66% of the COVID-19 vaccination intent. Specifically, controlling for age, socioeconomic status, political orientation, and educational level, we found that beliefs about the negative consequences of the COVID-19 vaccine were the main predictor followed by social influence. Beliefs in conspiracy theories did not predict vaccination intention (4) Conclusions: Considering these variables in campaigns to boost vaccination intention is discussed.