Individual and Work-Related Characteristics Associated with COVID-19 Vaccination Status among Ohio Nurses

Abstract

Uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine by nurses lags behind that of other health care professionals with minimal empirical evidence to understand this phenomenon. In this secondary analysis, we examined nurses’ individual and work-related characteristics and their association with COVID-19 vaccination status. Alumni of three Ohio nursing colleges and members of a professional organization were invited to complete questionnaires from June through August 2021. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate associations between nurse characteristics and vaccination status. Among 844 respondents, 754 (80.30%) had received at least one dose of the vaccine. Older age, having a bachelor's degree or higher, and working in critical care were associated with vaccination. Providing direct care for COVID-19 patients in the last 7 days and a higher perception of one's work being affected by COVID-19 were significantly associated with being vaccinated, whereas prior COVID-19 infection was inversely associated with vaccination status. Our findings suggest that COVID-19 vaccine uptake among nurses is influenced by a host of factors related to virus knowledge, beliefs, and risk perceptions. Awareness of these factors can aid the development of interventions to increase nurses’ acceptance of vaccines.