Population Health

Reducing vaccine disparities for the urban underserved

Two girls walk away from the cameraVaccination rates for U.S. immigrant populations have long been lower than those of U.S.-born citizens, a pattern that continued to hold true in the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even as diverse drivers of vaccine hesitancy are increasingly understood and addressed, vaccination rates against a number of diseases among immigrant communities remain lower. Intervention attempts to encourage vaccination have historically focused on individual actions and behaviors, rather than addressing systemic and structural barriers to vaccine access.

To better understand the persistent systemic and structural barriers that continue to impede vaccination uptake among underserved BIPOC communities in urban settings, the University of Washington’s Population Health Initiative and the Somali Health Board are leading a mixed-methods, community-based participatory research study. This study will identify and document systemic and structural barriers to accessibility that continue to negatively impact vaccination rates among Black and African immigrant communities, even after sustained campaigns (during COVID-19) effectively and significantly reduced vaccine hesitancy and increased access in these populations.

Key research objectives are:

  1. Measure changes in immunization rates over the last eight years among Black and African immigrant populations in King County, Washington, to identify key vaccine preventable diseases where immunization rates lag behind those of non-Hispanic White populations, and/or where rates lag behind those now achieved for COVID-19 in the target population.
  2. Identify key systemic and structural barriers to vaccine accessibility among specific urban populations in King County.
  3. Identify key mitigation strategies that reduce the negative impact of the most significant barriers to vaccine access and uptake.

We believe this research will produce observations about key factors impeding vaccine uptake among these underserved urban populations. The research will also inform recommendations as to the type and format of policies, strategies and programs that can most effectively mitigate the effects of these barriers and, in turn, support improved vaccination rates.

Funding Acknowledgement

This study is funded by a research grant from the Investigator-Initiated Studies Program of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp (MISP Reference Number 102172).