Afraid of Needles? You Might Skip Your COVID Jab!

Overview

Paper Summary › Explain Like I'm Five › Conflicts of Interest › Identified Limitations › Rating Explanation › Good to know › Topic Hierarchy › File Information ›

Paper Summary

Paperzilla title

This UK study found that about a quarter of adults screen positive for a blood-injection-injury phobia, and these folks are twice as likely to report COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. If this fear was poof, gone, about 1 in 10 cases of reported vaccine hesitancy might vanish too.

Explain Like I'm Five

Scientists found that some grown-ups are really scared of getting shots. This fear can make them not want to get their special COVID-19 vaccine, and if they weren't so scared, many more people would get it.

Possible Conflicts of Interest

Oxford University has entered into a partnership with Astra Zeneca for the development of a coronavirus vaccine. AJP is Chair of UK Dept. Health and Social Care's (DHSC) Joint Committee on Vaccination & Immunisation (JCVI) but does not participate in discussions on COVID-19 vaccines, and is a member of the WHO'S SAGE. The views expressed in this paper do not necessarily represent the views of DHSC, JCVI, or WHO.

Identified Limitations

Self-reported Data

The study relies on self-reported data, which can be subject to biases such as social desirability bias and recall bias. Participants may not accurately report their fears or vaccine hesitancy.

Cross-Sectional Design

The study uses a cross-sectional design, which limits the ability to draw causal inferences about the relationship between injection fears and vaccine hesitancy. It is possible that other factors influence both injection fears and vaccine hesitancy.

Sampling Bias

The study's sample was recruited online, which may not be representative of the general population. People who are more comfortable using the internet or who have stronger opinions about vaccines may be more likely to participate.

Confounding Variables

Although the study controls for some demographic factors, it's possible that other unmeasured confounders could be influencing the relationship between injection fears and vaccine hesitancy.

Rating Explanation

This is a well-conducted study with a large sample size that addresses an important issue related to public health. The study uses established measures and statistical techniques to examine the relationship between injection fears and vaccine hesitancy. Despite some limitations related to the cross-sectional design and reliance on self-reported data, the findings provide valuable insights into factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy. The disclosed conflict of interest related to Oxford University's partnership with AstraZeneca, while noteworthy, doesn't appear to directly compromise the study's methodology or significantly influence the results of this particular investigation.

Good to know

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Topic Hierarchy

Domain: Life Sciences

Field: Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics

Subfield: Toxicology

File Information

Original Title: Injection fears and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy

Uploaded: July 14, 2025 at 11:27 AM

Privacy: Public