TY - JOUR
T1 - Mpox vaccination willingness, determinants, and communication needs in gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, in the context of limited vaccine availability in the Netherlands (Dutch Mpox-survey)
AU - Dukers-Muijrers, N.H.T.M.
AU - Evers, Y.
AU - Widdershoven, V.
AU - Davidovich, U.
AU - Adam, P.C.G.
AU - op de Coul, E.L.M.
AU - Zantkuijl, P.
AU - Matser, A.
AU - Prins, M.
AU - de Vries, H.J.C.
AU - Heijer, C.D.
AU - Hoebe, C.J.P.A.
AU - Niekamp, A.M.
AU - Schneider, F.
AU - Reyes-Uruena, J.
AU - Croci, R.
AU - D'Ambrosio, A.
AU - Valk, M.V.
AU - Posthouwer, D.
AU - Ackens, R.
AU - Waarbeek, H.T.
AU - Noori, T.
AU - Hoornenborg, E.
N1 - Funding Information:
We are grateful to the following people and organizations for involvement in the recruitment of study participants: DC klinieken Lairesse Amsterdam (Hans-Erik Nobel), MUMC+ Department of infectious diseases, CSH Amsterdam (Adriaan Tempert and Justin Luidens), CSH South Limburg (Angelique Lahaut, Rocxanne Theuerzeit, Marita Werner, Ronald van Hooren), CSH Northern Limburg, CSH Utrecht (Mark van den Elshout), CSH Rotterdam-Rijnmond (Masja van der Pas and Charlotte Lantinga), CSH Gelderland-Zuid (B. Pool), CSH Ijsselland (Janine van den Brink), COC Limburg (Manuel Spier), Noordwest Ziekenhuisgroep (Frieda von Truien), and sex on premises-venues Limburg. Further, we are in depth to facilitating online social media recruitment to STI AIDS Netherlands (Sjoerd Visser and Laurian Kuiper), and John de Wit from University Utrecht for fruitful discussions, Kevin Konings for providing assistance with the data analyses, and Rianne Wit, Sabine Steins, and Lisanne Steijvers for visualization. We are indebted to our community-panel members for collaboration in designing this study. Finally, we thank all participants for contributing with their invaluable comments and responses. This work is available as Preprint: Dukers-Muijrers et al. (16).
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2023 Dukers-Muijrers, Evers, Widdershoven, Davidovich, Adam, Op de Coul, Zantkuijl, Matser, Prins, de Vries, Heijer, Hoebe, Niekamp, Schneider, Reyes-Urueña, Croci, D'Ambrosio, Valk, Posthouwer, Ackens, Waarbeek, Noori and Hoornenborg.
PY - 2023/1/5
Y1 - 2023/1/5
N2 - IntroductionIn the 2022 multicountry mpox (formerly named monkeypox) outbreak, several countries offered primary preventive vaccination (PPV) to people at higher risk for infection. We study vaccine acceptance and its determinants, to target and tailor public health (communication-) strategies in the context of limited vaccine supply in the Netherlands. MethodsOnline survey in a convenience sample of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, including transgender persons (22/07-05/09/2022, the Netherlands). We assessed determinants for being (un)willing to accept vaccination. We used multivariable multinominal regression and logistic regression analyses, calculating adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95 percent confidence-intervals. An open question asked for campaigning and procedural recommendations. ResultsOf respondents, 81.5% (n = 1,512/1,856) were willing to accept vaccination; this was 85.2% (799/938) in vaccination-eligible people and 77.7% (713/918) in those non-eligible. Determinants for non-acceptance included: urbanization (rural: aOR:2.2;1.2-3.7; low-urban: aOR:2.4;1.4-3.9; vs. high-urban), not knowing mpox-vaccinated persons (aOR:2.4;1.6-3.4), and lack of connection to gay/queer-community (aOR:2.0;1.5-2.7). Beliefs associated with acceptance were: perception of higher risk/severity of mpox, higher protection motivation, positive outcome expectations post vaccination, and perceived positive social norms regarding vaccination. Respondents recommended better accessible communication, delivered regularly and stigma-free, with facts on mpox, vaccination and procedures, and other preventive options. Also, they recommended, "vaccine provision also at non-clinic settings, discrete/anonymous options, self-registration" to be vaccinated and other inclusive vaccine-offers (e.g., also accessible to people not in existing patient-registries). ConclusionIn the public health response to the mpox outbreak, key is a broad and equitable access to information, and to low-threshold vaccination options for those at highest risk. Communication should be uniform and transparent and tailored to beliefs, and include other preventive options. Mpox vaccine willingness was high. Public health efforts may be strengthened in less urbanized areas and reach out to those who lack relevant (community) social network influences.
AB - IntroductionIn the 2022 multicountry mpox (formerly named monkeypox) outbreak, several countries offered primary preventive vaccination (PPV) to people at higher risk for infection. We study vaccine acceptance and its determinants, to target and tailor public health (communication-) strategies in the context of limited vaccine supply in the Netherlands. MethodsOnline survey in a convenience sample of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, including transgender persons (22/07-05/09/2022, the Netherlands). We assessed determinants for being (un)willing to accept vaccination. We used multivariable multinominal regression and logistic regression analyses, calculating adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95 percent confidence-intervals. An open question asked for campaigning and procedural recommendations. ResultsOf respondents, 81.5% (n = 1,512/1,856) were willing to accept vaccination; this was 85.2% (799/938) in vaccination-eligible people and 77.7% (713/918) in those non-eligible. Determinants for non-acceptance included: urbanization (rural: aOR:2.2;1.2-3.7; low-urban: aOR:2.4;1.4-3.9; vs. high-urban), not knowing mpox-vaccinated persons (aOR:2.4;1.6-3.4), and lack of connection to gay/queer-community (aOR:2.0;1.5-2.7). Beliefs associated with acceptance were: perception of higher risk/severity of mpox, higher protection motivation, positive outcome expectations post vaccination, and perceived positive social norms regarding vaccination. Respondents recommended better accessible communication, delivered regularly and stigma-free, with facts on mpox, vaccination and procedures, and other preventive options. Also, they recommended, "vaccine provision also at non-clinic settings, discrete/anonymous options, self-registration" to be vaccinated and other inclusive vaccine-offers (e.g., also accessible to people not in existing patient-registries). ConclusionIn the public health response to the mpox outbreak, key is a broad and equitable access to information, and to low-threshold vaccination options for those at highest risk. Communication should be uniform and transparent and tailored to beliefs, and include other preventive options. Mpox vaccine willingness was high. Public health efforts may be strengthened in less urbanized areas and reach out to those who lack relevant (community) social network influences.
KW - vaccination
KW - communication
KW - GBMSM
KW - mpox
KW - public health
KW - prevention
KW - low urban
KW - social network
U2 - 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1058807
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1058807
M3 - Article
C2 - 36684959
SN - 2296-2565
VL - 10
JO - Frontiers in Public Health
JF - Frontiers in Public Health
IS - 1
M1 - 1058807
ER -