A Survey on Factors Influencing COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Bamenda-Cameroon

Aims: Vaccine hesitancy has been a longstanding and complex public health attitude amongst the population. Despite the numerous benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy remains a major problem. While the importance of vaccine hesitancy is widely acknowledged, comparatively little is known about vaccine hesitancy in Bamenda. We, therefore, sought to examine individuals’ willingness to accept the COVID-19 vaccines in-order to understand and address the community-specific concerns and misconceptions.

Study Methodology: This was a community-based cross-sectional study carried out in Bamenda-Cameroon from April to May 2021. Paper-based, pre-tested open-close questionnaires were administered to consented participants. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23.

Results: A total of 2,531 participants of both sexes were included in the study with a mean age of 23.63±7.52 years. Vaccine hesitancy was 97.6% (2,161). The main reason for vaccine hesitancy was safety concerns 72.3% (1,786). Univariate analysis showed significant differences among the age groups, towns, marital status, monthly income, and religion. The multivariate model identified age group 20-29 years (OR 4.8, CI 1.82-12.53), Christians (OR 21.61, CI 4.92-94.94), Muslims (OR 8.67, CI 1.42-52.82), rural area (OR 2.9, CI 1.58-5.38), monthly income >100,000 FCFA (OR 0.28, CI 0.09-0.87) and those who attained primary education (OR 0.36, CI 0.14-0.92) as predictors of vaccine hesitancy (p<0.05).

Conclusion: The major reasons for vaccine hesitancy were misinformation and lack of trust. Therefore a reduction in the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy rate mandates collaborative efforts of governments, health policymakers, and media sources to provide useful information that will address the people’s concerns and misconceptions.