Motivators for Vaccination and Immunisations in Black African and Black African Caribbean Communities in London: A Report Submitted to NHS England

The COVID-19 pandemic has widened pre-existing global inequalities and has disproportionately affected people of Black and South-East Asian heritage in England. Although vaccination plays a significant role in saving lives and reducing hospital admissions from COVID-19, there are still significant barriers to vaccination within these communities. This study aimed to examine the key motivators for COVID-19 vaccination and immunization among people of Black African and Black African Caribbean heritage.

The study conducted focus groups with Black African and Black African Caribbean people in three London boroughs, namely Barking & Dagenham, Lewisham and Southwark. The study revealed diversity in the uptake and adherence to vaccines across the three boroughs. The study also explored a wide range of views and attitudes on vaccine acceptability, uptake, adherence to vaccination, as well as experiences and impacts of adverse effects following immunization (AEFIs/AESIs), myths, and rumours about vaccines and immunization.

The study found that while some participants expressed concerns about the vaccine's efficacy and the speed of its development, most participants were eager to protect themselves from COVID-19 and were more worried about their susceptibility to the virus. Participants also had unanswered questions about COVID-19 and the vaccine, which influenced their decision-making regarding acceptability, uptake and adherence. The role of the NHS in building knowledge and awareness about the vaccine was highlighted, but participants felt the information could have been made more user-friendly and communicated better.

Overall, the study reveals that the motivators and behavioural nudges for COVID-19 vaccination were complex and multi-layered. The key motivators for COVID-19 vaccination were protection against COVID-19, becoming informed about the vaccine, concern about underlying issues, and commitment to protect family members with underlying issues. However, there were still gaps in participants’ understanding of the role of the vaccine, such as concerns about the number of doses, including booster doses, that they had to take, the vaccine’s efficacy and potential adverse effects from immunisation.