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The lived experiences of a COVID-19 immunization programme: Vaccine hesitancy and vaccine refusal

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a global health emergency and lock-down measures to curb the uncontrolled transmission chain. Vaccination is an effective measure against COVID-19 infections. In Malaysia amidst the national immunisation programme (NIP) which started in February 2021,...

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Main Authors: Chan, Nee Nee, Ong, Khang Wei, Siau, Ching Sin, Lee, Kai Wei, Peh, Suat Cheng, Yacob, Shakila Parween, Chia, Yook Chin, Seow, Vei Ken, Ooi, Pei Boon
Format: Article
Published: BioMed Central 2022
Subjects:
HD Industries. Land use. Labor
RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
RC Internal medicine
Online Access:http://eprints.um.edu.my/33359/
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spelling my.um.eprints.333592022-08-08T00:54:14Z http://eprints.um.edu.my/33359/ The lived experiences of a COVID-19 immunization programme: Vaccine hesitancy and vaccine refusal Chan, Nee Nee Ong, Khang Wei Siau, Ching Sin Lee, Kai Wei Peh, Suat Cheng Yacob, Shakila Parween Chia, Yook Chin Seow, Vei Ken Ooi, Pei Boon HD Industries. Land use. Labor RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine RC Internal medicine Background The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a global health emergency and lock-down measures to curb the uncontrolled transmission chain. Vaccination is an effective measure against COVID-19 infections. In Malaysia amidst the national immunisation programme (NIP) which started in February 2021, there were rising concerns regarding the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy and refusal, and therefore, vaccine uptake among Malaysians. Although there are many quantitative studies on COVID-19 vaccination, the subjective experience of individuals was understudied. This study aims to explore the lived experiences of Malaysians regarding vaccine hesitancy and refusal, and facilitating factors that could enhance vaccine acceptance and uptake. Methods This qualitative study employed the hermeneutic phenomenological study design. Purposive sampling strategies were used to recruit Malaysians that had direct experiences with friends, family members and their community who were hesitating or refusing to accept the COVID-19 vaccines. A semi-structured interview guide was developed based on the expert knowledge of the investigators and existing literature on the topic. A series of focus group interviews (FGIs) was conducted online facilitated by a multidisciplinary team of experts. The group interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed. Results Fifty-nine participants took part in seven FGIs. We found that ``incongruence'' was the overall thematic meaning that connected all the 3 main themes. These themes comprise firstly, the incongruence between the aims and implementation of the National Immunization Program which highlighted the gap between realities and needs on the ground. Secondly, the incongruence between Trust and Mistrust revealed a trust deficit in the government, COVID-19 news, and younger people's preference to follow the examples of local vaccination ``heroes''. Thirdly, the incongruence in communication showed the populace's mixed views regarding official media and local social media. Conclusions This study provided rich details on the complex picture of the COVID-19 immunization program in Malaysia and its impact on vaccine hesitancy and refusal. The inter-related and incongruent factors explained the operational difficulty and complexity of the NIP and the design of an effective health communication campaign. Identified gaps such as logistical implementation and communication strategies should be noted by policymakers in implementing mitigation plans. BioMed Central 2022-02-14 Article PeerReviewed Chan, Nee Nee and Ong, Khang Wei and Siau, Ching Sin and Lee, Kai Wei and Peh, Suat Cheng and Yacob, Shakila Parween and Chia, Yook Chin and Seow, Vei Ken and Ooi, Pei Boon (2022) The lived experiences of a COVID-19 immunization programme: Vaccine hesitancy and vaccine refusal. BMC Public Health, 22 (1). ISSN 1471-2458, DOI https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-12632-z <https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-12632-z>. 10.1186/s12889-022-12632-z
institution Universiti Malaya
building UM Library
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universiti Malaya
content_source UM Research Repository
url_provider http://eprints.um.edu.my/
topic HD Industries. Land use. Labor
RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
RC Internal medicine
spellingShingle HD Industries. Land use. Labor
RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
RC Internal medicine
Chan, Nee Nee
Ong, Khang Wei
Siau, Ching Sin
Lee, Kai Wei
Peh, Suat Cheng
Yacob, Shakila Parween
Chia, Yook Chin
Seow, Vei Ken
Ooi, Pei Boon
The lived experiences of a COVID-19 immunization programme: Vaccine hesitancy and vaccine refusal
description Background The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a global health emergency and lock-down measures to curb the uncontrolled transmission chain. Vaccination is an effective measure against COVID-19 infections. In Malaysia amidst the national immunisation programme (NIP) which started in February 2021, there were rising concerns regarding the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy and refusal, and therefore, vaccine uptake among Malaysians. Although there are many quantitative studies on COVID-19 vaccination, the subjective experience of individuals was understudied. This study aims to explore the lived experiences of Malaysians regarding vaccine hesitancy and refusal, and facilitating factors that could enhance vaccine acceptance and uptake. Methods This qualitative study employed the hermeneutic phenomenological study design. Purposive sampling strategies were used to recruit Malaysians that had direct experiences with friends, family members and their community who were hesitating or refusing to accept the COVID-19 vaccines. A semi-structured interview guide was developed based on the expert knowledge of the investigators and existing literature on the topic. A series of focus group interviews (FGIs) was conducted online facilitated by a multidisciplinary team of experts. The group interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed. Results Fifty-nine participants took part in seven FGIs. We found that ``incongruence'' was the overall thematic meaning that connected all the 3 main themes. These themes comprise firstly, the incongruence between the aims and implementation of the National Immunization Program which highlighted the gap between realities and needs on the ground. Secondly, the incongruence between Trust and Mistrust revealed a trust deficit in the government, COVID-19 news, and younger people's preference to follow the examples of local vaccination ``heroes''. Thirdly, the incongruence in communication showed the populace's mixed views regarding official media and local social media. Conclusions This study provided rich details on the complex picture of the COVID-19 immunization program in Malaysia and its impact on vaccine hesitancy and refusal. The inter-related and incongruent factors explained the operational difficulty and complexity of the NIP and the design of an effective health communication campaign. Identified gaps such as logistical implementation and communication strategies should be noted by policymakers in implementing mitigation plans.
format Article
author Chan, Nee Nee
Ong, Khang Wei
Siau, Ching Sin
Lee, Kai Wei
Peh, Suat Cheng
Yacob, Shakila Parween
Chia, Yook Chin
Seow, Vei Ken
Ooi, Pei Boon
author_facet Chan, Nee Nee
Ong, Khang Wei
Siau, Ching Sin
Lee, Kai Wei
Peh, Suat Cheng
Yacob, Shakila Parween
Chia, Yook Chin
Seow, Vei Ken
Ooi, Pei Boon
author_sort Chan, Nee Nee
title The lived experiences of a COVID-19 immunization programme: Vaccine hesitancy and vaccine refusal
title_short The lived experiences of a COVID-19 immunization programme: Vaccine hesitancy and vaccine refusal
title_full The lived experiences of a COVID-19 immunization programme: Vaccine hesitancy and vaccine refusal
title_fullStr The lived experiences of a COVID-19 immunization programme: Vaccine hesitancy and vaccine refusal
title_full_unstemmed The lived experiences of a COVID-19 immunization programme: Vaccine hesitancy and vaccine refusal
title_sort lived experiences of a covid-19 immunization programme: vaccine hesitancy and vaccine refusal
publisher BioMed Central
publishDate 2022
url http://eprints.um.edu.my/33359/
_version_ 1740826024717844480
score 13.211869

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