eprintid: 10142674 rev_number: 6 eprint_status: archive userid: 699 dir: disk0/10/14/26/74 datestamp: 2022-02-01 13:18:00 lastmod: 2022-02-01 13:18:00 status_changed: 2022-02-01 13:18:00 type: article metadata_visibility: show sword_depositor: 699 creators_name: Batty, G David creators_name: Deary, Ian J creators_name: Altschul, Drew title: Pre-pandemic mental and physical health as predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: evidence from a UK-wide cohort study ispublished: pub divisions: UCL divisions: G19 divisions: D12 divisions: B02 keywords: COVID-19, Mental health, cohort study, physical health, vaccine hesitancy note: � 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. abstract: BACKGROUND: Although several predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy have been identified, the role of physical health and, particularly, mental health, is poorly understood. METHODS: We used individual-level data from a pandemic-focused investigation (COVID Survey), a prospective cohort study nested within the UK Understanding Society (Main Survey) project. In the week immediately following the announcement of successful testing of the first efficacious inoculation (Oxford University/AstraZeneca, November/December 2020), data on vaccine intentionality were collected in 12,035 individuals aged 16-95 years. Pre-pandemic, study members had responded to enquiries about diagnoses of mental and physical health, including the completion of the 12-item General Health Questionnaire for symptoms of psychological distress (anxiety and depression). Peri-pandemic, individuals indicated whether they or someone in their household was shielding; that is, people judged by the UK National Health Service as being particularly clinically vulnerable who were therefore requested to remain at home. Intention to take up vaccination for COVID-19 was also self-reported. RESULTS: In an analytical sample of 11,955 people (6741 women), 15.4% indicated that they were vaccine-hesitant. Relative to their disease-free counterparts, shielding was associated with a 24% lower risk of being hesitant (odds ratio; 95% confidence interval: 0.76; 0.59, 0.96), after adjustment for a range of covariates which included age, education, and ethnicity. Corresponding results for cardiometabolic disease were 22% (0.78; 0.64, 0.95), and for respiratory disease were 26% (0.74; 0.59, 0.93). Having a pre-pandemic diagnosis of anxiety or depression, or a high score on the distress symptom scale, were all unrelated to the willingness to vaccine-hesitancy. CONCLUSIONS: People with a physical condition were more likely to take up the potential offer of a COVID-19 vaccination. These effects were not apparent for indices of mental health.Key messagesIn understanding predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, the role of physical and mental health has not been well-examined despite both groups seemingly experiencing an elevated risk of the disease.In a large UK cohort study, people with a pre-pandemic physical condition were more likely to take up the theoretical offer of vaccination.There were no apparent effects for indices of pre-pandemic mental health. date: 2022-01-24 date_type: published publisher: Informa UK Limited official_url: https://doi.org/10.1080/07853890.2022.2027007 oa_status: green full_text_type: pub language: eng primo: open primo_central: open_green verified: verified_manual elements_id: 1936669 doi: 10.1080/07853890.2022.2027007 medium: Print lyricists_name: Batty, George lyricists_id: GDBAT67 actors_name: Kalinowski, Damian actors_id: DKALI47 actors_role: owner funding_acknowledgements: R56 AG052519 [NIA NIH HHS]; R01 AG052519 [NIA NIH HHS]; R01 AG054628 [NIA NIH HHS] full_text_status: public publication: Annals of Medicine volume: 54 number: 1 pagerange: 274-282 event_location: England issn: 0785-3890 citation: Batty, G David; Deary, Ian J; Altschul, Drew; (2022) Pre-pandemic mental and physical health as predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: evidence from a UK-wide cohort study. Annals of Medicine , 54 (1) pp. 274-282. 10.1080/07853890.2022.2027007 <https://doi.org/10.1080/07853890.2022.2027007>. Green open access document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10142674/1/Batty_Pre-pandemic%20mental%20and%20physical%20health%20as%20predictors%20of%20COVID-19%20vaccine%20hesitancy-%20evidence%20from%20a%20UK-wide%20cohort%20study_VoR.pdf