Correlates of COVID-19 vaccine coverage in Arkansas: Results from a weighted random sample survey.

We assessed COVID-19 vaccination (≥1 dose) status as influenced by sociodemographic factors (i.e., age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, income, and parent or guardian status), healthcare provider recommendation, and personal vaccine hesitancy among Arkansas residents in October 2022. We asked: did the likelihood of vaccination differ across sociodemographic groups of Arkansas during this period of the pandemic? Is COVID-19 vaccination associated with recommendations from healthcare providers and/or COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy? We analyzed data from a random sample survey of adults in Arkansas (N = 2,201). Three in four adults self-reported vaccination against COVID-19 in October 2022. We found both positive and negative association between COVID-19 vaccination and age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, income, healthcare provider recommendation, and vaccine hesitancy. We highlight racial differences in COVID-19 coverage and the higher odds of COVID-19 vaccination among Black adults compared to White adults in particular, which has broad implications for the study of vaccine coverage and hesitancy. We also discuss implications of our findings regarding healthcare provider recommendations to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Hesitant adopters: An examination of hesitancy among adults in Arkansas who have taken the COVID-19 vaccine.

Recent research suggests people who report vaccine hesitancy may still get vaccinated; however, little is known about hesitancy among those who chose to vaccinate. The current study focused on individuals who received the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine despite their hesitancy, whom we refer to as "hesitant adopters." With the understanding that vaccine attitudes and vaccine behaviors may or may not be correlated, we examined the prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among those who have been vaccinated, how COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy varies across sociodemographic groups, and how COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy relates to other factors (prior health care access and influenza vaccination behavior over the past 5 years). Random digit dialing of telephone landlines and cell phones was used to contact potential survey respondents, rendering a sample of 1500 Arkansan adults. Approximately one-third of those who received a COVID-19 vaccine also reported some level of hesitancy. Among hesitant adopters, 5.3% said they were "very hesitant," 8.8% said they were "somewhat hesitant," and 17.1% said they were "a little hesitant." Black/African American and Hispanic/Latinx respondents reported more hesitancy than White respondents, and female respondents reported greater hesitancy compared to male respondents. Greater hesitancy was associated with non-metro/rural residence, forgoing health care due to cost, and lower influenza vaccination rates over the past 5 years. Findings suggest those who are hesitant may get vaccinated despite their hesitancy, illustrating the complexity of vaccination behaviors. Prevalence of hesitancy among the vaccinated has implications for communication strategies in vaccine outreach programs and may help to reduce stigmatization of hesitant adopters.