COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in a national sample of older Brazilians: The ELSI-COVID Initiative, March 2021

Abstract

Objective: To determine prevalence and factors associated with intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19 among older Brazilians. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study based on telephone interviews with participants of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil) aged 60 years and over, conducted in 70 municipalities in March 2021. Results: Among the 4,364 participants (mean age = 70.1 years), 91.8% intended to get vaccinated or had already been vaccinated, 2.5% did not intend to get vaccinated and 5.7% were undecided. Participants living in the North and Southeast regions were more likely to want to get vaccinated, as were those with two or more chronic diseases. Those who learned about COVID-19 from friends/family/social media were more likely to be undecided about vaccination (odds ratio = 3.15; 95%CI 1.28;7.77). Conclusion: The study identified one of the highest prevalence of intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19 described in the literature to date.