Prevalence and underlying determinants related to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Iraqi Healthcare professionals in Hilla City

Objective: This study aims to assess the prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among healthcare workers in Hilla City and understand the underlying reasons.Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted at various health institutions in Al-Hilla City, randomly selected, from July 1, 2022, to November 1, 2022. A three-part questionnaire was used to collect information from all healthcare workers (HCWs) at these institutions who consented to participate. The first part was focused on socio-demographics. The second part gathered information on COVID-19 infection history and vaccination status. The third part used a five constraints scale questionnaire to evaluate the psychological factors affecting COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among unvaccinated participants, which is composed of five main subscales: “confidence, complacency, constraints, calculation, and collective responsibility.” Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) program.Results: The study of 521 healthcare workers revealed a vaccine hesitancy rate of 12.5%, influenced by lack of confidence (86.2%), complacency (70%), and low collective responsibility (93.8%). Non-medical staff relying on social media for information were more likely to be hesitant (p < 0.05). Vaccine hesitancy was significantly associated with occupation, workplace, and information sources (p < 0.05) but showed no link to gender, marital status, education, or chronic disease history (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The non-vaccinated participants were mostly non-medical healthcare workers employed in hospitals, with social media as their main source of information. Inadequate trust in the vaccine, a low sense of collective responsibility, and an underestimation of disease risk were key factors influencing vaccination decisions.