A Scoping Review of Self-Report Measures Used to Assess Individual and Contextual Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccination in General Population Samples
Creators: name: Moran, Chelsea Véronique
Publisher: name: Graduate Studies
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: COVID-19
subject: vaccination
subject: immunization/immunisation
subject: measurement
subject: self-report measure
subject: scoping review
subject: assessment
subject: reliability
subject: validity
subject: Public Health
subject: Psychology--Behavioral
subject: Psychometrics

description: Introduction: Understanding vaccine refusal is crucial for enhancing COVID-19 vaccination rates. There has been a surge in survey-based research using self-report measures to identify predictors of COVID-19 vaccination uptake. The validity of research findings greatly depends on the use of appropriate and rigorous measurement practices. This dissertation aims to describe constructs and evaluate measurement practices in peer-reviewed studies on determinants of COVID-19 uptake in general population samples. Methods: A scoping review adhering to PRISMA-ScR guidelines was conducted (Study 1, Chapter 2). This review focused on construct definition and theoretical representation, based on the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behavior (COM-B) model, and examined the characteristics of self-report measures. A secondary analysis of data from this scoping review, supplemented by a targeted search strategy, identified validated self-report measures and critically appraised the quality of their measurement properties using the Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) guidance (Study 2, Chapter 3). Results: The comprehensive literature search identified 157 unique studies which reported on 425 constructs. Constructs representing the motivation dimension of the COM-B model were prominent, while capability and opportunity factors were often neglected. Frequently assessed constructs included positive and negative attitudes, intentions, beliefs, willingness, and hesitancy. The results revealed conceptual overlap in construct definitions and inconsistent use of construct labels. Most self-report measures were developed by study authors, used in only one study retrieved, and lacked reporting of psychometric properties. Study 2 identified ten validated self-report measures assessing COVID-19 vaccine attitudes, beliefs, hesitancy, and anxiety, with generally inadequate quality of psychometric evidence examined and limited reporting of methods used to ascertain content validity. Although the Vaccination Concerns in COVID-19 Scale (VaCCS) demonstrated the highest quality evidence for measurement properties, none of the measures retrieved in Study 2 could be recommended without further research to further quantify their measurement properties. Conclusion: This dissertation offers guidance on construct definition and measure selection for future research on COVID-19 vaccination determinants. Further research is needed to standardize construct definitions, confirm the measurement properties of existing measures, and develop measures to assess social and environmental factors. Recommendations for improving measurement practices are discussed.