TY - JOUR
T1 - Coronavirus Disease Vaccination Among Persons With Disabilities
T2 - Understanding Vaccine Perceptions and Hesitancy in Ghana
AU - Opoku, Maxwell Peprah
AU - Belbase, Shashidhar
AU - Nsowah, Fred Adusei
AU - Yeboah, Kwame
AU - Nketsia, William
AU - Mohamed, Ahmed
AU - Agyei-Okyere, Elvis
AU - Amponteng, Michael
AU - Saah, Reuben
AU - Safi, Mohammed
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Catholic Medical Association 2023.
PY - 2023/11
Y1 - 2023/11
N2 - The effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been felt globally and in all spheres of life. Developing vaccines was an important milestone in ensuring the protection of lives, but there are concerns about vaccine availability in sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. The living conditions of persons with disabilities, in particular, in SSA societies have been described as deplorable and unsustainable, and they are at risk of discrimination. Such persons appear to be already struggling to obtain other basic services, and the extent of vaccine accessibility to this population remains unknown. This study aimed to assess the perceptions of persons with disabilities in Ghana of COVID-19 vaccines. Between July 2021 and December 2021, 336 persons with disabilities (hearing, visual, and physical) were recruited from two regions in Ghana. The attitude toward the COVID-19 vaccination scale was adapted for this study. The results showed that persons with disabilities were ambivalent toward vaccination, and differences were observed between participant groups. The background variables found to influence attitude were age, place of residence, educational qualification, gender, and COVID-19 acquisition status. The study concludes with a clarion call to policymakers to expedite public education for persons with disabilities.
AB - The effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been felt globally and in all spheres of life. Developing vaccines was an important milestone in ensuring the protection of lives, but there are concerns about vaccine availability in sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. The living conditions of persons with disabilities, in particular, in SSA societies have been described as deplorable and unsustainable, and they are at risk of discrimination. Such persons appear to be already struggling to obtain other basic services, and the extent of vaccine accessibility to this population remains unknown. This study aimed to assess the perceptions of persons with disabilities in Ghana of COVID-19 vaccines. Between July 2021 and December 2021, 336 persons with disabilities (hearing, visual, and physical) were recruited from two regions in Ghana. The attitude toward the COVID-19 vaccination scale was adapted for this study. The results showed that persons with disabilities were ambivalent toward vaccination, and differences were observed between participant groups. The background variables found to influence attitude were age, place of residence, educational qualification, gender, and COVID-19 acquisition status. The study concludes with a clarion call to policymakers to expedite public education for persons with disabilities.
KW - COVID-19
KW - Ghana
KW - pandemic
KW - persons with disabilities
KW - vaccine
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85163003464&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85163003464&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/00243639231178626
DO - 10.1177/00243639231178626
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85163003464
SN - 0024-3639
VL - 90
SP - 452
EP - 471
JO - The Linacre quarterly
JF - The Linacre quarterly
IS - 4
ER -
