P0701 - Differences in Vaccination Beliefs by Race and Ethnicity Among Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Sunday, October 22, 2023

3:30 PM – 7:00 PM PT

Location: Exhibit Hall

Presenting Author(s)

Mimi Xu, MD (she/her/hers)

Keck School of Medicine of USC
Los Angeles, CA

Mimi Xu, MD¹, Florence-Damilola Odufalu, MD², Sarah Sheibani, MD²
¹Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, CA; ²University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Introduction: Vaccines are a critical public health advancement; however, due to several factors, vaccine rates and hesitancy continue to be a challenge for various racial and ethnic groups. This study examined disparities in vaccine uptake and viewpoints by race and ethnicity for individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in a safety-net hospital patient cohort.

Methods: Patients with an IBD diagnosis with primary IBD care at Los Angeles General Medical Center were recruited for enrollment. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from April 2022 to March 2023. Demographic data, IBD history, and vaccination beliefs were collected. Chi-square analysis was used to compare groups.

Results: A total of 161 patients were recruited. Of those enrolled, 75 (46.6%) were male and the mean age was 43.3. Sixty-five (40.4%) patients identified as White, 22 (13.7%) as Black, 5 (3.1%) as Asian, 11 (6.8%) as Other, and 61 (37.9%) preferred not to answer. One hundred ten (72.3%) patients were Hispanic. Ninety-three (57.8%) patients had ulcerative colitis, and 68 (42.2%) patients had Crohn’s disease. “Always” or “often” declining vaccinations were reported in 9.0% of patients. White participants were less likely to decline vaccines than non-Whites (P=0.049) for various reasons shown in Table 1. Non-White participants were more likely to decline vaccination due to negative media (P=0.001), lack of reliable information on where to get vaccines (P=0.01), a belief that vaccines are ineffective (P=0.01), someone telling them that vaccines are unsafe (P=0.02), and a fear of needles (P=0.01). There was no difference between Hispanic and non-Hispanic patients with vaccine declination (P=0.07), however, non-Hispanic patients were more likely to decline vaccination due to not thinking it was needed (P=0.05), negative media (P=0.02), and someone telling them that vaccines are unsafe (P=0.01) (Table 1).

Discussion: In this safety-net cohort, participants from underrepresented racial and ethnic minority groups were more likely to be hesitant to receive vaccines compared to White participants. This hesitancy towards vaccination can contribute to the known healthcare disparities in IBD patients. It is essential to educate patients and investigate the reasons behind vaccine hesitancy.

RACE	WHITE N=65	NON-WHITE N=34	P-VALUE
Did not think it was needed	20.0%	25.7%	0.51
Heard/read negative media	0.5%	20.0%	0.001
Did not know where to get vaccination	1.5%	2.9%	0.65
Had a bad experience or reaction to previous vaccination	6.2%	11.4%	0.35
Did not know where to get reliable information	0	11.4%	0.01
Not possible to leave work	0	2.8%	0.17
Did not think the vaccine was effective	0	11.4%	0.01
Someone told me the vaccines are not safe	0	8.57%	0.02
Did not think the vaccine was safe/concerned about side effects	7.7%	14.3%	0.29
Fear of needles	0	11.4%	0.01
Religious reasons	3.1%	5.7%	0.52
ETHNICITY	HISPANIC N=110	NON-HISPANIC N=42	P-VALUE
Did not think it was needed	16.4%	31.0%	0.05
Heard/read negative media	3.6%	14.3%	0.02
Did not know where to get vaccination	0.1%	4.8%	0.13
Had a bad experience or reaction to previous vaccination	6.4%	4.8%	0.71
Did not know where to get reliable information	3.6%	7.1%	0.36
Not possible to leave work	0	2.4%	0.10
Did not think the vaccine was effective	6.4%	4.8%	0.71
Someone told me the vaccines are not safe	0	7.1%	0.01
Did not think the vaccine was safe/concerned about side effects	6.4%	11.9%	0.26
Fear of needles	1.8%	4.8%	0.31
Religious reasons	0.9%	4.8%	0.13

Table: Table 1. Reasons for Vaccine Avoidance by Race and Ethnicity

Disclosures:

Mimi Xu indicated no relevant financial relationships.

Florence-Damilola Odufalu indicated no relevant financial relationships.

Sarah Sheibani indicated no relevant financial relationships.

Mimi Xu, MD¹, Florence-Damilola Odufalu, MD², Sarah Sheibani, MD². P0701 - Differences in Vaccination Beliefs by Race and Ethnicity Among Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease, ACG 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting Abstracts. Vancouver, BC, Canada: American College of Gastroenterology.