New UCLA research identifies several factors influencing how people of color in Los Angeles County are making decisions about COVID-19 vaccination. The study, published in the peer-reviewed JAMA Network Open, reveals that misinformation and politicization, awareness of past injustices involving medical research, and fears about the inequitable distribution of vaccines all contributed to people's hesitancy to be vaccinated.
Racial and ethnic minority communities in Los Angeles County have had an exceptionally high risk for COVID-19 infection, severe illness and death. To prevent further disparities, the study's authors suggest, there should be a multifaceted outreach campaign to people in vulnerable groups in order to improve confidence in the vaccines, and access to the vaccines should be expanded.
"This work expands on our understanding of factors that contribute to COVID-19 vaccine decision-making for marginalized communities," said Dr. Arleen Brown, a senior author of the study and a professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "This work has implications for the public health system, health care providers and under-resourced communities that face the greatest burden from COVID-19."
