[Analysis of beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines among the adult Hungarian population from a health communication perspective].

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID–19 vaccination uptake rate was lower among the Hungarian population compared to the European Union average. Among residents of deprived settlements in Hungary, vaccine uptake was by 38.2% lower than the national average. A major obstacle to the vaccination program was public mistrust. Objective: To explore the beliefs of the population regarding COVID–19 vaccination and to identify mass media sources used for obtaining information about the pandemic. Method: The analyzed data came from a cross-sectional online survey, which was conducted from November 15 to 26, 2022. The effective sample size of the anonymous data collection was 1222 Hungarian adults. Questions regarding the refusal of COVID–19 vaccination, sociodemographic variables, 5 positive and 5 negative attitudes toward COVID–19 vaccination and COVID–19, and questions regarding mass media used for obtaining information were involved in this study. Frequentist statistical methods and Hornik–Woolf method were applied. Results: A successful increase in the agreement with the statement “The vaccinated also protect the health of those around them” could have achieved the highest increase in the vaccination rate among the Hungarian adult population. Respondents identified television, online news portals, government online communication, and radio as primary sources of information about COVID–19. Significantly more vaccine refusers sought information on closed Facebook pages and on YouTube compared to vaccine acceptors. Conclusion: In line with international findings, emphasizing community interest could have been an effective general approach in the promotion of COVID–19 vaccination in Hungary. For the preparation of future mass-vaccination campaigns, complex health communication research, planning and testing are recommended. Orv Hetil. 2024; 165(17): 664–671.