Characteristics associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: A nationwide survey of 1000 patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases

Rodrigo Poubel Vieira Rezende; Alessandra S Braz; Maria Fernanda B Guimarães; Sandra Lúcia E Ribeiro; Rejane Maria R Abreu Vieira; Blanca E Bica; Vítor A Cruz; Ketty Lysie Libardi Lira Machado; Joana S Carvalho; Odirlei A Monticielo; Lilian D Valadares; Kátia Lino Baptista; Anna Carolina F M Gomes Tavares; Adriana M Kakehasi; Edgard T Neto; Ana Karla Guedes Melo; Gilda A Ferreira; Viviane A de Souza; Gecilmara S Pileggi; Marcelo M Pinheiro

doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.09.057

Characteristics associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: A nationwide survey of 1000 patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases

Vaccine. 2021 Oct 22;39(44):6454-6459. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.09.057. Epub 2021 Sep 25.

Authors

Rodrigo Poubel Vieira Rezende¹, Alessandra S Braz², Maria Fernanda B Guimarães³, Sandra Lúcia E Ribeiro⁴, Rejane Maria R Abreu Vieira⁵, Blanca E Bica⁶, Vítor A Cruz⁷, Ketty Lysie Libardi Lira Machado⁸, Joana S Carvalho³, Odirlei A Monticielo⁹, Lilian D Valadares¹⁰, Kátia Lino Baptista¹¹, Anna Carolina F M Gomes Tavares³, Adriana M Kakehasi³, Edgard T Neto¹², Ana Karla Guedes Melo¹³, Gilda A Ferreira³, Viviane A de Souza¹⁴, Gecilmara S Pileggi¹², Marcelo M Pinheiro¹²

Affiliations

¹ Departamento de Medicina Clínica, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Internal Medicine Department, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil.
³ Rheumatology Unit, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
⁴ Rheumatology Division, Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil.
⁵ Rheumatology Unit, Hospital Geral de Fortaleza, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
⁶ Internal Medicine Department, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
⁷ Rheumatology Unit, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil.
⁸ Rheumatology Division, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil.
⁹ Internal Medicine Department, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
¹⁰ Rheumatology Unit, Hospital Getúlio Vargas, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
¹¹ Departamento de Pediatria, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
¹² Rheumatology Division, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
¹³ Hospital Universitário Lauro Wanderley, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil.
¹⁴ Internal Medicine Department, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Abstract

Objectives: To identify potential predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (C19-VH) in adults with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMID).

Methods: A total of 1000 IMID patients were enrolled in this web-based cross-sectional study. A standardised and self-administered survey was designed by members of the Brazilian Society of Rheumatology Steering Committee for Infectious and Endemic diseases and distributed to IMID patients spread across Brazil.

Results: Of the 908 (90.8%) respondents eligible for analysis, 744 (81.9%) were willing to get vaccinated against COVID-19. In our multivariable logistic regression model, concurrent malignancy, fibromyalgia, hydroxychloroquine use, and recent corticosteroid pulse therapy were independently associated with higher odds of C19-VH. The short duration of COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials was the main reason for C19-VH.

Conclusion: We identified novel characteristics potentially associated with C19-VH among adults with IMID. Greater awareness on the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines is needed for both IMID patients and attending physicians.

Keywords: COVID-19; Immune-mediated inflammatory diseases; Vaccine acceptance; Vaccine hesitancy.

MeSH terms

Adult
COVID-19 Vaccines*
COVID-19*
Cross-Sectional Studies
Humans
SARS-CoV-2
Surveys and Questionnaires

Substances

COVID-19 Vaccines