Relationship of trust on selected health information sources and COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among older adults

Janelle  P. Castro,; Tricia Kaye  F. Palola,; Jocelyn  M. Molo,; Eunice Simone  Tung,; Danielle Janica  Ballescas,; Xyle Arani Ysabel  B. Balquiedra,; Rowell Kian  B. Carig,; Rommel Angelo  P. Sanchez,; Vincent Gerald  M. Santos,

Relationship of trust on selected health information sources and COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among older adults

Discipline: Health

Abstract:

Introduction In order to suppress the COVID-19 virus, several vaccines have been developed. The administration of COVID-19 vaccines entails its acceptance. However, misinformation and vaccine uncertainty are main factors that affect vaccine acceptance. This study aimed to determine the most trusted health information source, the most frequently accessed health information source, and health literacy of older adults within Metro Manila. Methods This study employed a quantitative non-experimental design utilizing correlational and descriptive approaches. Convenience sampling was utilized via Facebook to recruit participants. The survey was adapted from four different questionnaires and went through reliability testing and expert validation. Results The researchers collected responses from a total of 123 participants. The participants were noted to have an overall high level of acceptance for the COVID-19 vaccine ( 4.10, SD ± 0.22). The study revealed that doctors were the highly trusted health information source (( =3.69, SD ± 1.30), followed by government health agencies (( =3.18, SD ± 0.73), whereas religious organizations and leaders (( =2.45, SD ± 0.48) were the least trusted sources. However, despite being the least trusted source, religious organizations and leaders were shown to be positively related (p=0.049) and highly predictive of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. The most frequently accessed health information source, health workers, have a weak correlation (r=.323) and were found to be significantly positively related (p=0.008) and highly predictive of the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine. The credibility of health information sources is likely to influence their selection, influencing decisions and behaviors.