Journal of Education and Health Promotion

Abstract BACKGROUND: Vaccine hesitancy leads to an increase in morbidity, mortality, and health‑care 
burden. Reasons for vaccine hesitancy include anti‑vax group statements, misinformation about 
vaccine side effects, speed of vaccine development, and general disbelief in the existence of viruses 
like COVID‑19. Medical students are future physicians and are key influencers in the uptake of 
vaccines. Hence, investigating vaccine hesitancy in this population can help to overcome any barrier 
in vaccine acceptance.
METHODS: In this paper, we review five articles on COVID‑19 vaccine hesitancy in medical students 
and consider potential future research. All published papers relevant to the topic were obtained 
through extensive search using major databases. Inclusion criteria included studies that specifically 
investigated COVID‑19 vaccine hesitancy in medical students published between 2020 and 2021. 
Exclusion criteria included studies that investigated vaccine hesitancy in health‑care professionals, 
allied health, and viruses apart from COVID‑19. A total of 10 studies were found from our search.
RESULTS: Based on our exclusion criteria, only five studies were included in our review. The sample 
size ranged from 168 to 2133 medical students. The percentage of vaccine hesitancy in medical 
students ranged from 10.6 to 65.1%. Reasons for vaccine hesitancy included concern about serious 
side effects, vaccine efficacy, misinformation and insufficient information, disbelief in public health 
experts, financial costs, and belief that they had acquired immunity.
CONCLUSION: These results suggest that vaccine hesitancy is an important cause of the incidence 
and prevalence of COVID‑19 cases. Identifying the barriers of vaccine hesitancy in prospective 
physicians can help increase vaccination uptake in the general public. Further research is necessary 
to identify the root cause of these barriers.

Abstract BACKGROUND: Vaccine hesitancy presents a major challenge during the COVID‑19 pandemic. It 
is crucial to address the factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy necessary to control the associated 
morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to investigate the impact of professional medical guidance 
on the likelihood of receiving the COVID‑19 vaccine in immigrants of USA and Canada.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 92 immigrants in the USA and Canada who predominantly 
spoke Malayalam were recruited using social media platforms. An online survey was administered 
investigating participants’ confidence in receiving the COVID‑19 vaccine. Following, a short 
webinar was conducted by a medical professional explaining the efficacy and safety of the vaccine. 
A postwebinar survey was immediately given assessing the confidence and likelihood of receiving 
the vaccine. SPSS was used to generate descriptive statistics and Pearson Chi‑square analysis 
where appropriate.
RESULTS: Results revealed that participants who attended the webinar reported greater confidence 
in receiving the COVID‑19 vaccine. There was a statistically significant difference between pre‑ and 
postwebinar confidence scores for the COVID‑19 vaccine, 2 (12, n = 80) = 43.34, P < 0.01.
CONCLUSION: Results from the current study demonstrate the successful delivery of professional 
medical guidance to the general public through online small‑group sessions to help address the 
misconceptions surrounding the COVID‑19 vaccine and combat vaccine hesitancy among vulnerable 
populations. Future studies should focus on interventions addressing vaccine hesitancy in larger and 
diverse populations and analyze other barriers to vaccination.