Does the Fear of Needles Influence Jamaicans’ Willingness to be vaccinated against COVID-19?

Abstract

Introduction: As of November 21, 2021, the vaccination rate in the world is 55% (fully-vaccinated, 43%) compared to 22% in Jamaica (17% fully vaccinated), 70% in the United States and Canada, 66% in Latin America, Asia-Pacific (64%), Europe (62%), Middle-East (45%), and 9.7% in Africa. A variable proportion of each country’s population is delaying or avoiding vaccination, which may hamper the success of vaccination programmes. The frequency of needle injections averaged from 2-11 per person each year in 10 major regions globally in a study conducted by the World Health Organization.

Aim & objectives: To explore whether the fear of needles influences Jamaicans’ willingness to be vaccinated?”The objectives are 1) To examine respondent’s perception of needle/injections, and 2) To determine whether the respondents had issues on COVID-19 Vaccines.

Methods and Materials: The study used an explanatory web-based cross-sectional design. A standardized questionnaire instrument consisting of fifteen closed-ended questions was disseminated via WhatsApp, Facebook, and face-to-face interaction in the fourteen parishes. The Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 25 for Windows 27.0 provided data analysis.

Findings: Most of the respondents were females living in Clarendon who were hesitant to take the vaccine due to trypanophobia. Of the total respondents, 62.6% (n=676) avoided medication requiring administration through needles. The majority of the respondents (31.2%, n=337) was three on a scale of 1-5 (with 5 being the highest level of fear). Most respondents (43.6%, n=471) answered “Yes” when asked, “If the needles were shorter would you take the vaccine?”When asked if the following statement referred to the: “My heart races when I think about getting an injection”, most of the respondents (31.9%, n=344) agreed. Age, fear of needles, and willingness to accept oral vaccination accounted for 21.6% (i.e., Nagelkerke R²) of the variance in vaccination status (-2Ll=744.023; Omnibus test of Model coefficients: ?²(8)=117.109, P < 0.001; Hosmer and Lemeshow test: ?²(8)=10.750, P-value = 0.216).

Conclusion: The influence of trypanophobia on COVID-19 vaccination rates in Jamaica must be considered when formulating future public media strategies, policymakers approach, and civic responsibility in reducing vaccine hesitancy among the population. Therapeutic healthcare provider and patient interactions are pivotal in increasing the patient’s confidence, willingness toward treatment, and the strength to overcome trypanophobia.