Lexi Balmuth Presents Research on Vaccine Trust and Uptake at American Public Health Association 2024 Conference

Lexi Balmuth presented research at the APHA 2024 Annual Meeting & Expo on vaccine attitudes and uptake behavior, with particular attention to reasons for skepticism about vaccinations.

In the study, Americans aged 50 and older completed a survey where they were asked about their uptake status for five vaccines typically recommended for older adults: shingles, pneumococcal, influenza, COVID-19, and Tdap. Participants were also asked about their level of trust toward vaccines in general and, for vaccines they had not received, about their reasoning for not vaccinating.

Participants in the study reported generally high levels of trust in vaccines, with older age groups (those in their 70s and 80s) showing the most trust. This aligns with another finding from the study that overall vaccination increased with age, with the largest increase happening around age 60.

Unvaccinated individuals were asked about the reasoning behind their decisions to not vaccinate. Some reasons – including worry about potential side effects – were consistent across vaccines, while others – such as concern about safety of the COVID-19 vaccine - were more vaccine-specific. Additionally, unvaccinated individuals were found to be most willing to receive a pneumonia vaccine and least willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. In her presentation, Balmuth reflected on the uniqueness of the COVID-19 pandemic with respect to the political polarization of vaccines and suggested that political orientation could be among the important factors to consider in further analyses.