Influence of Human Biology and Health (HBH) Teaching–Learning Process on Students’ Conceptions of the COVID-19 Vaccine

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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic created the need for universal vaccination. This study aimed to compare university students’ (pre-service teachers) conceptions who had already learned the immune system and vaccination topics in the “Human Biology and Health (HBH)” curricular unit with those who had not yet taken part in it. It also intended to verify the influence of secondary school background, perception of one’s own health, feeling at risk for COVID-19 and their own experience with it and scientific knowledge related to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. It was a cross-sectional study with a mixed methodology for data analysis. A questionnaire was applied online to a sample of 102 university students. Results show that students who had already taken the subject on the immune system and vaccination had more acceptable conceptions about the vaccine and wanted to be vaccinated but not in the initial moment of the national vaccination process. The fear of adverse reactions seemed to be the major hesitancy factor. Furthermore, students’ argumentation showed that their conceptions progressed towards more socio-scientific reasoning.

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Vaccine hesitancy: Definition, scope and determinants.

Noni MacDonald (2015)

The SAGE Working Group on Vaccine Hesitancy concluded that vaccine hesitancy refers to delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccination despite availability of vaccination services. Vaccine hesitancy is complex and context specific, varying across time, place and vaccines. It is influenced by factors such as complacency, convenience and confidence. The Working Group retained the term 'vaccine' rather than 'vaccination' hesitancy, although the latter more correctly implies the broader range of immunization concerns, as vaccine hesitancy is the more commonly used term. While high levels of hesitancy lead to low vaccine demand, low levels of hesitancy do not necessarily mean high vaccine demand. The Vaccine Hesitancy Determinants Matrix displays the factors influencing the behavioral decision to accept, delay or reject some or all vaccines under three categories: contextual, individual and group, and vaccine/vaccination-specific influences.

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Mapping global trends in vaccine confidence and investigating barriers to vaccine uptake: a large-scale retrospective temporal modelling study

Alexandre de Figueiredo, Clarissa Simas, Emilie N Karafillakis … (2020)

Summary Background There is growing evidence of vaccine delays or refusals due to a lack of trust in the importance, safety, or effectiveness of vaccines, alongside persisting access issues. Although immunisation coverage is reported administratively across the world, no similarly robust monitoring system exists for vaccine confidence. In this study, vaccine confidence was mapped across 149 countries between 2015 and 2019. Methods In this large-scale retrospective data-driven analysis, we examined global trends in vaccine confidence using data from 290 surveys done between September, 2015, and December, 2019, across 149 countries, and including 284 381 individuals. We used a Bayesian multinomial logit Gaussian process model to produce estimates of public perceptions towards the safety, importance, and effectiveness of vaccines. Associations between vaccine uptake and a large range of putative drivers of uptake, including vaccine confidence, socioeconomic status, and sources of trust, were determined using univariate Bayesian logistic regressions. Gibbs sampling was used for Bayesian model inference, with 95% Bayesian highest posterior density intervals used to capture uncertainty. Findings Between November, 2015, and December, 2019, we estimate that confidence in the importance, safety, and effectiveness of vaccines fell in Afghanistan, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, and South Korea. We found significant increases in respondents strongly disagreeing that vaccines are safe between 2015 and 2019 in six countries: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Serbia. We find signs that confidence has improved between 2018 and 2019 in some EU member states, including Finland, France, Ireland, and Italy, with recent losses detected in Poland. Confidence in the importance of vaccines (rather than in their safety or effectiveness) had the strongest univariate association with vaccine uptake compared with other determinants considered. When a link was found between individuals' religious beliefs and uptake, findings indicated that minority religious groups tended to have lower probabilities of uptake. Interpretation To our knowledge, this is the largest study of global vaccine confidence to date, allowing for cross-country comparisons and changes over time. Our findings highlight the importance of regular monitoring to detect emerging trends to prompt interventions to build and sustain vaccine confidence. Funding European Commission, Wellcome, and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.