Intenção de vacinação contra a COVID-19 em Portugal

: preditores sociodemográficos e psicossociais

Abstract

Vaccination is one of the fundamental measures taken to control the pandemic due to COVID-19, which makes it important to comprehend the predictors of the intention of getting vaccinated, in order to promote its adherence. This study had the goal to evaluate the intention to get vaccinated in a sample of Portuguese individuals, as well as explore an ensemble of sociodemographic and psychosocial variables, based on three predictive models (i.e., Health Belief Model, Theory of Planned Behavior, and the 3 C’s Model), as predictors of said intention. Additionally, it was intended to understand if the news about adverse reactions and suspension of the vaccination program with one of the vaccine brands might have had impact on the trust on vaccines and intentions to get vaccinated.This study was transversal, quantitative, with data collected through an online questionnaire. The sample consisted of 383 participants, living in Portugal that, until the date, were not vaccinated against COVID-19. The results showed that the intention to get vaccinated was higher in people with other nationality non-Portuguese, in between health professionals, that lived with people above 65 years old. The psychosocial determinants that were associated with the intention to get vaccinated were skepticism, with a negative relation, understood benefits, social norm, and risk perception (susceptibility), all with positive relations considering intention to get vaccinated. After the emerging news on the media about the possible adverse effects associated to AstraZeneca, it was observed a decrease in the intention to get vaccinated and trust towards all vaccines, especially AstraZeneca. These results contribute to the identification of target groups that should be prioritized when intervening, as well as what beliefs and predictors potentially modified can be used to promote adherence to vaccination.

Date of Award	17 Jan 2022
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Cristina Godinho (Supervisor)