Table 3.
Levels of vaccine hesitancy to prevent and control COVID-19 in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
| First author, year | Country | Participants | Age [mean(SD); range; median(IQR)] | Sample size (male) | Study design | Dates of data collection | Outcome | Outcome definition | Main findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chilongola, 2022 (39) | Tanzania | Individuals who visited their relatives who were admitted or undergoing medical care at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre were requested to respond to structured questions regarding COVID-19. | 33 (25–45) years | 232 (168) | Cross-sectional study | October 2021 | Vaccine hesitancy (1y) | The proportion of participants who were unwilling to take COVID-19 vaccine | 152 (65.52%) of interviewed participants had a negative attitude toward COVID-19 vaccines. |
| Kanyike, 2021 (32) | Uganda | Medical students pursuing undergraduate degree programs of choice. | ≥18 years | 600 (377) | Cross-sectional study | Monday 15 March and Sunday 21 March 2021 | Vaccine hesitancy (2y) | Vaccine hesitancy was defined as the proportion of individuals reluctant to take COVID-19 vaccine. | The majority of the participants (n = 376, 62.7%) were not willing to be vaccinated against COVID-19. |
| Wafula, 2022 (33) | Uganda | Adults 18 years and older with access to cell phones and who had been residents in the study district for at least 6 months. | 34 (18–80) years | 1,053 (651) | Cross-sectional survey | March 2021 | Intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 (2y) | Intention to take the COVID-19 vaccine was measured using a one-item question: ‘If a vaccine against COVID-19 becomes available, would you take it?’ | Overall, 16.0% (168) of the participants reported that they would not get the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine if it became available. |
| Ouni, 2023 (40) | Uganda | Registered and practising health workers in the Dokolo district from both government and private health facilities. | 31.4 (6.9) years | 346 (151) | Mixed-method, cross-sectional descriptive study | Not available | Vaccine hesitancy (1y) | Vaccine hesitancy was defined as the unwillingness of a health worker to take a COVID-19 vaccine | Of the 346 health workers enrolled, (13.3% [46/346]) were vaccine-hesitant. |
| Osur, 2022 (34) | Kenya | Youths aged 18–35, registered in online platforms/peer groups that included Shujaaz, Brck Moja, Aifuence, Y Act and Heroes for Change. | range 18–35 years | 665 (401) | Mixed-method study using a cross-sectional survey and focused group discussions approaches. |
Not available | Vaccine hesitancy (2y) | Percentage of participants unwilling to receive COVID-19 vaccine. | 6% of the participants were unwilling to be vaccinated. |
| Orangi, 2021 (41) | Kenya | Participants were sampled from households in four existing Population Council prospective cohort studies across four counties: Kilifi, Kisumu, Nairobi and Wajir. | 40.8 (12.6) years | 4,136 (1355) | Cross-sectional study | February 2021 | Levels of vaccine hesitancy (1y) | Percentage of participants unwilling to receive COVID-19 vaccine. | Overall, the level of vaccine hesitancy towards the COVID-19 vaccine across all study counties was 36% (n = 1,509). |
COVID-19, coronavirus disease 19; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2; CI, confidence interval; SD, standard deviation; IQR, inter-quartile range; S.E, standard error; 1y, primary outcome; 2y, secondary outcome.
The levels of vaccine hesitancy have been presented as proportions of participants that were unwilling to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as reported by the individual studies.