Facilitators and Barriers to COVID-19 Vaccination in Vietnamese Americans in Texas: A Survey

TL;DR

This study explores what influences Vietnamese Americans in Texas to get vaccinated for COVID-19, finding that trust in healthcare providers and the government increases vaccination rates, while trust in peers and pandemic challenges decrease it.

Contribution

The study provides new insights into vaccination facilitators and barriers specific to Vietnamese Americans, a subpopulation with limited disaggregated data.

Findings

High trust in healthcare providers and the federal government increased odds of vaccination.

Trust in peers and pandemic-related challenges like lack of clean water decreased vaccination odds.

Understanding these factors can help improve health equity for Vietnamese Americans.

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disproportionately affected Asian American communities, highlighting the need to understand the factors that influence vaccination rates, especially within subpopulations. Many trust studies have found that healthcare institutions, peers, and nonmedical health drivers play key roles in shaping vaccination decisions within specific subgroups, underscoring the need to examine these factors among subpopulations like Vietnamese Americans to develop targeted interventions. Unfortunately, Vietnamese Americans, a significant population in Texas, have limited disaggregated data available, a knowledge gap this study seeks to fill.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Common Survey 2 instrument was used online and via paper in English and Vietnamese. Trained volunteers, outreach events, and local Texas clinics recruited adults of Vietnamese heritage from December 2022 to April 2023. The data were analyzed through multivariable logistic regression.

Of the 425 participants who responded to a survey, the responses of 278 who completed all pertinent questions were included in the analysis. Respondents demonstrated high trust in healthcare providers (AOR [adjusted odds ratio] 2.97, 95% CI: 1.28–6.86; p = 0.011) and in the federal government (AOR 3.02, 95% CI: 1.32–6.88; p = 0.009) for COVID-19 information were associated with increased odds of COVID-19 vaccination. In contrast, high trust in peers at work or school for COVID-19 information (AOR 0.51, 95% CI: 0.22–0.89; p = 0.041) and a pandemic-related challenge of having clean water to drink in the past month (AOR 0.30, 95% CI: 0.13–0.71; p = 0.006) were associated with decreased odds of COVID-19 vaccination.

Trust in healthcare providers and the federal government was associated with increased COVID-19 vaccine receipt among Vietnamese Americans, whereas trust in peers and endorsing COVID-19 challenges decreased COVID-19 vaccine receipt. Understanding the facilitators and barriers to vaccination among Vietnamese Americans can improve COVID-19 health equity and outcomes.

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