Vaccine hesitancy among refugee, immigrant, and migrant populations in the USA
Citation: Daniels D, Imdad A, Buscemi-Kimmins T, et al. Vaccine hesitancy in the refugee, immigrant, and migrant population in the United States: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics. 2022;18:e2131168.
Language: Abstract and full text available in EN.
Free to view: Yes.
Funding sources: Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic.
What is this? In this systematic review, the authors searched for articles about vaccination rates, barriers, and interventions that addressed vaccine hesitancy among refugees, immigrants, and migrants (RIM) aged 18 years and older who had resettled in the United States of America. The authors restricted their searches to original research published in English between April 2012 and May 2022. They included 57 studies.
What was found: Refugees, immigrants, and migrants were at an increased risk of vaccine-preventable diseases due to lower vaccination rates compared with the general population in the USA.
Barriers to vaccination among RIM included knowledge gaps, lack of access to health care, and cultural barriers related to language and religion. During the COVID-19 pandemic, safety concerns and distrust in the government and the healthcare system also contributed to vaccine hesitancy.
Implications: The authors of the review stated that there is a need for effective, evidence-based interventions to increase vaccination rates among diverse RIM populations in the USA. The findings indicated the importance of timely access to culturally sensitive healthcare services. Additionally, policies that secure federal funding for health services and adopt guidelines for immunisations can improve vaccination rates among RIM populations.
Other considerations: The authors of the review did not discuss their findings in the context of issues relating to health equity.
This summary was prepared by Riwa Deghaim, checked by Grace Meng, and finalized by William Summerskill.