Acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination in the canton of Geneva: a cross-sectional study of the general population
Wisniak A, Baysson H , Pullen N , Nehme M Pennacchio F, Zaballa ME, Guessous I, Stringhini S* and the Specchio-COVID19 study group.
COVID-19 Vaccination acceptance in the canton of Geneva: A Cross-Sectional Population-Based Study, Swiss Med Wkly. 2021; Dec 14;151:w30080. doi: 10.4414/smw.2021.w30080doi:10.4414/SMW.2021.w30080.
Summary:
Aims : The aim of this study was to assess the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination and its sociodemographic and clinical determinants, three months after the launch of the vaccination programme in Geneva, Switzerland.
Methods: Between 17 March and1 April 2021, an online self-questionnaire was offered via the Specchio-COVID19 platform to all individuals aged 18 years and older participating in one of the seroprevalence studies in Geneva, Switzerland. Questions were asked about acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccination, reasons for acceptance or refusal and attitudes towards vaccination in general. Demographic data (age, sex, education, income, occupational status, living conditions) and health-related characteristics (having a chronic disease, COVID-19 diagnosis, smoking status) were assessed at cohort inclusion (December 2020). Overall acceptance of vaccination was standardised according to the distribution of age, sex and education in the Geneva population.
Results: A total of 4067 participants (77.4% response rate) completed the survey between 17 March and1 April 2021. The average age of respondents was 53.3 years and 56.0% were women. At the time of the survey, 17.2% of respondents had already been vaccinated with at least one dose or had made an appointment to be vaccinated. In addition, 58.5% of people who had not been vaccinated intended to do so. Overall acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccination standardised by age, sex and level of education in the Geneva population was 71.8%, with a higher acceptance rate among men compared with women, among older adults compared with younger adults, among high-income earners compared with low-income earners, and among participants living in urban and semi-urban areas compared with those living in rural areas.
Discussion
Although our study showed 75.7% acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination, significant socio-demographic disparities were identified. These data will be useful in guiding public health actions by targeting hesitant populations when developing health communication strategies.
Link to the article in English