AUTHOR=Wu Xia , Lin Jue , Buch Heena , Ding Quchen , Zhang Faming , Cui Bota , Ji Guozhong 

TITLE=The COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy Among the People With Inflammatory Bowel Disease in China: A Questionnaire Study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.731578

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2021.731578

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objective:</bold> To explore the attitudes and views of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) on COVID-19 vaccination.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> An online interview questionnaire concerning the acceptance or hesitancy toward vaccination for COVID-19 was designed and 543 patients with IBD in China were invited to complete the structured self-administered anonymous questionnaire.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Of all the participants, 50.7% were indecisive about the vaccination and only 16.0% opted for it. Vaccination hesitancy was significantly associated with women and those without medical or biomedical backgrounds. The acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination was higher in participants with no history of immune-modifying therapies, especially in those without immunosuppressants. Participants who considered vaccination critically important to self-health or the health of others were more likely to choose immediately or later vaccination. Safety and potential adverse reactions, personal hypoimmunity, efficacy, and reliability of COVID-19 vaccines were the top three concerns of the participants that were independent of their willingness for vaccination.</p><p><bold>Conclusions:</bold> This study discloses the presence of hesitancy for COVID-19 vaccination in patients with IBD. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines in IBD individuals, with a specific focus on the impact of immune-modifying therapies. Health education and recommendation from authoritative sources may facilitate COVID-19 vaccination efforts.</p>