Page 79 - IJPS-10-1

International Journal of
Population Studies Drivers of COVID-19 vaccination in South Africa

describes a situation where vaccines are less available to not influence an individual’s decision to get vaccinated in
those who need them and are more receptive to them. The the current study.
need for vaccination, in this case, is reflected in the disease With respect to the main explanatory variables, the
burden of the country – the burden of COVID-19 in proportion of South Africans willing to get vaccinated
South Africa was among the highest globally, measuring against COVID-19 was not lower than 73% of the
at 10% (WHO, 2022c). Nearly 80% of South Africans population, irrespective of risk beliefs, current health
were willing to get vaccinated, a statistic higher than that status, or familiarity with a COVID-19 case. However,
in countries with higher vaccine production capacities respondents who did not believe that they were at risk
such as the United States, Germany, France, and Russia, of infection, who considered that their health was in
measuring between 55% and 60% (Lindholt et al., 2021; good condition, and who did not have someone with
Sallam, 2021). COVID-19 were relatively less willing to get vaccinated.
Factors predicting the population’s willingness to When the relationships were analyzed by means of
get vaccinated, as shown in this study, were age, racial multivariate regression, only the risk of being infected had
composition, province of residence, beliefs about the a statistically significant relationship with the willingness to
risk of being infected, health status, and familiarity with get vaccinated. Under the unadjusted and adjusted modes,
a COVID-19 case. Sex, marital status, education, place individuals who considered themselves at risk of being
of residence, number of people in households, number infected were more likely to get vaccinated. The odds even
of people aged 60 and above in a residence, and mental increased from 1.287 to 1.403 when the sociodemographic
health status were not found to drive the willingness. variables were controlled for in the regression model.
Age, race, and place of residence have also been shown The findings of this study indicate that the major factor
to be positively associated with vaccine uptake in studies that drives an individual to seek health-care services is the
from other countries (Lindholt et al., 2021; Sallam, 2021; perception that they might be susceptible to ill health. The
El-Elimat et al., 2021; Arce et al., 2021; Al-Jayyousi et al., role of beliefs in health-care seeking is well established
2021; Holzmann-Littig, 2021), which also found a positive in the literature and as such, the findings here align with
association of vaccine uptake with sex, marital status, and what is known. Upon realizing the vulnerability to the risks
education, contrary to findings from the present study. of infection, many individuals resort to adopt protective
In the same note, conflicting findings from different behaviors (Rosenstock, 1966; Becker, 1974), such as
studies showed that the number of persons per household, consulting a doctor, visiting a health facility, or getting
number of people aged 60 and above in a residence, and vaccinated. During the COVID-19 pandemic period, the
mental health status predispose individuals to COVID-19 same theory held true (Banda et al., 2021; Kim & Kim,
and augment their willingness to get vaccinated (Makinde 2020), accounting for why South Africans who believed
et al., 2021; Najjuka et al., 2021; Vukotic et al., 2021), but that they were at risk were more willing to get vaccinated.
such associations were negative in the present study. The willingness to get vaccinated was also found to be
Unlike most other sociodemographic attributes higher among individuals who reported their health as
that recorded negative odds in their association with being poor. This may be connected with the established
the willingness to get vaccinated, marital status of the scientific evidence about COVID-19 complications and
respondents was not statistically significant in its negative deaths being higher among individuals who reported
association. This might be related to the country’s underlying comorbidities. Such comorbidities include
peculiarity with regard to union formation. More than 56% diseases of heart, kidney, liver and lung, diabetes, obesity,
of the respondents were single in a sample comprising of and human immunodeficiency virus infection (Center for
nearly 90% of individuals aged 25 and above. In tandem, Disease Control, 2021). The prevalence rates of obesity and
civil marriages had declined in South Africa by 22.5% in human immunodeficiency virus infection are particularly
8 years (2011 – 2019) (Statistics South Africa, 2022). South higher in South Africa (United Nations Programme on
Africa is one of the countries with the highest prevalence HIV/AIDS, 2020; Odimegwu et al., 2020; Sartorius et al.,
of single motherhood globally after countries in Latin 2015). In this study, higher level of willingness to get
America (Adewoyin & Odimegwu, 2022a). Contrary to vaccinated in this particular cohort may have stemmed
findings that being in a union or living in households from their desire to survive COVID-19 and not to fall ill
with more male-dominant decision-making powers is with the related complications.
positively associated with higher level of utilization of Individuals who knew someone with COVID-19 were
health-care services (Adewoyin & Odimegwu, 2022b; more willing to get vaccinated than those who were not
Adewoyin et al., 2022), being or not being in a union did familiar with any. This finding is similar to those from a

Volume 10 Issue 1 (2024) 73 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.479