Older Adults' Perceived Risk Regarding COVID-19 and Intention to Vaccinate

Role of Health-Related Literacy

Dawood, Shaimaa Samir PhD
Eweida, Rasha Salah PhD
Rashwan, Zohour Ibrahim PhD
Elmoniem, Maha Mohammed Abd PhD
Elsakhy, Nancy Mahmoud PhD

From Gerontological Nursing Department (S.S.D., M.M.A.E.), Psychiatric Nursing and Mental Health Department (R.S.E.), and Pediatric Nursing Department (Z.I.R.), Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt; Pediatric Nursing Specialty, Nursing Department, College of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Bahrain, Zallaq, Kingdom of Bahrain (Z.I.R.); and Gerontological Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Matrouh University, Matrouh, Egypt (N.M.E.).

Disclosure: The authors have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.

Address correspondence to Rasha Salah Eweida, PhD, Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University, 7th Ahmed Elsayed Street, Sidigaber, Alexandria, Egypt 21523; email: [email protected].

Received September 03, 2021

Accepted January 04, 2022

Research in Gerontological Nursing 15(2):p 57-67, March 01, 2022. | DOI: 10.3928/19404921-20220218-02

The current cross-sectional descriptive study aimed to explore the association between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)–related health literacy, perceived risk, and intention to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. A sample of 414 older adults completed several questionnaires regarding COVID-19 risk perception, intention to vaccinate, and health literacy. Results revealed that more than one half of older adults demonstrated perceived high risk related to COVID-19 infection. Moreover, 31.6% of older adults noted their unwillingness to get vaccinated, and 39.4% demonstrated low health literacy regarding COVID-19. A significant positive correlation was found among older adults' perceived risk regarding COVID-19 infection, intention toward vaccination against COVID-19, and COVID-19–related health literacy. Findings serve to aid the Ministry of Health in planning proactive steps to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake in older adults. [Research in Gerontological Nursing, 15(2), 57–67.]