TY - JOUR
T1 - Attitudes toward coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination in people with multiple sclerosis
AU - Marrie, Ruth Ann
AU - Dolovich, Casandra
AU - Cutter, Gary R.
AU - Fox, Robert J.
AU - Salter, Amber
N1 - Funding Information:
NARCOMS is a project of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC). NARCOMS is funded in part by the CMSC and the Foundation of the CMSC. The study was also supported in part by the Waugh Family Chair in Multiple Sclerosis and Research Manitoba Chair (to RAM). The funding source(s) had no role in the study design, collection, analysis or interpretation of the data, nor in the decision to submit the article for publication.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), 2022.
PY - 2022/4
Y1 - 2022/4
N2 - Objective: We estimated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination rates in the North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS) population and investigated reasons for vaccine hesitancy. Methods: In Spring 2021, we surveyed the NARCOMS participants about COVID-19 vaccinations. Participants reported whether they had received any COVID-19 vaccination; if not, they reported why not. They also reported whether they had received influenza vaccination. Using multivariable logistic regression, we assessed participant characteristics associated with uptake of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines. Results: Of 4955 eligible respondents, 3998 (80.7%) were females with a mean (SD) age of 64.0 (9.7) years. Overall, 4165 (84.1%) reported that they had received a COVID-19 vaccine, most often Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, and 3723 (75.4%) received a seasonal influenza vaccine. Reasons for not getting the COVID-19 vaccine included possible adverse effects (47.73%), possible lack of efficacy (13.7%), and lack of perceived need (17.1%). Factors associated with receiving the COVID-19 vaccine included receipt of influenza vaccine, older age, higher socioeconomic status, any leisure physical activity, and use of disease-modifying therapy. Conclusion: In this older cohort of people with multiple sclerosis, COVID-19 vaccine uptake was high, exceeding uptake of seasonal influenza vaccine. Concerns regarding safety, efficacy, and lack of perceived risk were associated with not obtaining the COVID-19 vaccine.
AB - Objective: We estimated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination rates in the North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS) population and investigated reasons for vaccine hesitancy. Methods: In Spring 2021, we surveyed the NARCOMS participants about COVID-19 vaccinations. Participants reported whether they had received any COVID-19 vaccination; if not, they reported why not. They also reported whether they had received influenza vaccination. Using multivariable logistic regression, we assessed participant characteristics associated with uptake of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines. Results: Of 4955 eligible respondents, 3998 (80.7%) were females with a mean (SD) age of 64.0 (9.7) years. Overall, 4165 (84.1%) reported that they had received a COVID-19 vaccine, most often Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, and 3723 (75.4%) received a seasonal influenza vaccine. Reasons for not getting the COVID-19 vaccine included possible adverse effects (47.73%), possible lack of efficacy (13.7%), and lack of perceived need (17.1%). Factors associated with receiving the COVID-19 vaccine included receipt of influenza vaccine, older age, higher socioeconomic status, any leisure physical activity, and use of disease-modifying therapy. Conclusion: In this older cohort of people with multiple sclerosis, COVID-19 vaccine uptake was high, exceeding uptake of seasonal influenza vaccine. Concerns regarding safety, efficacy, and lack of perceived risk were associated with not obtaining the COVID-19 vaccine.
KW - Multiple sclerosis
KW - coronavirus disease 2019
KW - vaccination
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U2 - 10.1177/20552173221102067
DO - 10.1177/20552173221102067
M3 - Article
C2 - 35634013
AN - SCOPUS:85130782444
SN - 2055-2173
VL - 8
JO - Multiple Sclerosis Journal - Experimental, Translational and Clinical
JF - Multiple Sclerosis Journal - Experimental, Translational and Clinical
IS - 2
ER -