Identifying COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Motivators for People Who Inject Drugs in Lane County

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Covering Covid

People who use intravenous drugs (PWID) are at greater risk of mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases yet also express higher levels of vaccine hesitancy than the general public. For the COVID-19 pandemic, identifying common vaccine hesitancy motivators among intravenous drug users is key to ongoing vaccination campaigns against the disease. However, very little research has used qualitative methods to examine why intravenous drug users are often more vaccine hesitant. This thesis used a mixed-methods design, conducting 41 semi-structured interviews and 260 quantitative surveys with PWID in Lane County to understand better the most influential contributors to vaccine hesitancy among this demographic group. The interviews and surveys demonstrated a consistent connection between the poor social determinants of health and frequent dehumanization of intravenous drug users and their reduced willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. This thesis proposes a new model for assessing vaccine hesitancy among PWID, directly informed by the actual experiences shared by collaborators for this project. Moreover, the results of this thesis elucidate the need to address systemic barriers in healthcare that inhibit accessibility, trust, and confidence in preventative services like vaccines among marginalized communities. Current and future vaccine outreach programs for PWID must first establish a foundation of trust to alleviate vaccine hesitancy and encourage vaccine uptake.