1. COVID-19 vaccine acceptability in patients with opioid dependence – a cross-sectional, community-based study.
- Author
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Gupta, Abhishek, MB, Deepak, Rao, Ravindra, and Bhad, Roshan
- Subjects
COMMUNITY health services ,CROSS-sectional method ,HEALTH literacy ,HEALTH attitudes ,OUTPATIENT services in hospitals ,T-test (Statistics) ,DRUG addiction ,VACCINATION ,COVID-19 vaccines ,POVERTY areas ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,CHI-squared test ,ATTITUDE (Psychology) ,NARCOTICS ,OPIOID analgesics ,METROPOLITAN areas ,DATA analysis software ,COVID-19 ,PATIENTS' attitudes ,DRUG abusers ,VACCINATION status - Abstract
Background: People with Substance Use Disorder have higher adverse outcomes associated with COVID-19 infection that can be reduced with COVID-19 vaccines. Various factors influence the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines. We assessed COVID-19 vaccine-related knowledge, attitude, and beliefs in patients on Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) from a community clinic in an urban impoverished area in Delhi, India. Methods: Cross-sectional design. We interviewed 200 adult males using a structured questionnaire. Results: The participants' mean age was 27.4 (SD 6.8) years; majority (68%, n = 136) had less than 10 years of schooling. While family members of 77% (n = 154) of the participants were vaccinated for COVID-19, only 32% (n = 64) of the participants had been vaccinated with at least a single dose. 43% (n = 86) felt they are ineligible for vaccine due to their addiction or their ongoing addiction treatment (46.5%, n = 93). Though the majority (78.5%, n = 157) were willing to get vaccinated, they had not done so due to concerns, such as fear of vaccine-related adverse-effects (35%). Conclusions: COVID-19 vaccination rates in individuals with opioid dependence are much lower compared to the general population. There are several misconceptions related to COVID-19 vaccinations in this population that needs to be addressed to achieve universal vaccination against COVID-19 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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