Factors Related to the Acceptance and Rejection of COVID-19 Vaccination

Aims Despite various government measures, control of COVID-19 requires immediate action, including vaccine production. Given the role of vaccine acceptance factors in future planning, this study aimed to unfold the determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in Gonabad. Methods & Materials This descriptive-analytical study was performed on 292 people in Gonabad City, Iran, in 2021. The random multi-stage sampling method was used to select two groups of samples: Vaccinated and unvaccinated. The data collection tool consisted of a demographic checklist and a researcher-made questionnaire on the reasons for accepting or rejecting the COVID-19 vaccination. Data were collected by telephone and analyzed by SPSS software version 23 using mean, standard deviation, and the Chi-square test at a significance level of less than 0.05. Findings Most of the research participants were women (51%). The mean age of the vaccinated and non-vaccinated groups was 57.55±12.24 and 55.38±41.1 years, respectively. Two factors of living with people at risk (88.5%) and respect for the rights of others (80.9%) were the most important reasons for accepting and worrying about the side effects of the vaccine (63%). Worrying about the content and lack of knowledge about the effectiveness of the vaccine (45.3%) were mentioned as the most important reasons for not accepting the COVID-19 vaccination. Conclusion Considering the importance of two factors, including the concern about the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine and concern about the content and ineffectiveness of COVID-19 vaccine in rejecting COVID-19 vaccine, increasing public awareness and knowledge about the effectiveness of vaccines in the country seems necessary to plan and invest on a large scale in the country through reliable sources as well as efforts to reduce the fear of the consequences of vaccination.