Pre-pandemic Cognitive Function and COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy: Cohort Study.

Background

Whereas several predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy have been examined, the role of cognitive function following the widely publicised development of an inoculation is unknown.

Objective

To test the association between scores from an array of cognitive function tests and self-reported vaccine hesitancy after the announcement of the successful testing of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine.

Design Setting and Participants

We used individual-level data from a pandemic-focused study (COVID Survey), a prospective cohort study nested within Understanding Society (Main Survey). In the week immediately following the announcement of successful testing of the first efficacious inoculation (November/December 2020), data on vaccine intentionality were collected in 11740 individuals (6702 women) aged 16-95. Pre-pandemic scores on general cognitive function, ascertained from a battery of six tests, were captured in 2011/12 wave of the Main Survey.

Measurements

Self-reported intention to take up a vaccination for COVID-19. To summarise our results, we computed odds ratios with accompanying 95% confidence intervals for general cognitive function adjusted for selected covariates.

Results

Of the study sample, 17.2% (N=1842) indicated they were hesitant about having the vaccine. After adjustment for age, sex, and ethnicity, study members with a lower baseline cognition score were markedly more likely to be vaccine hesitant (odds ratio per standard deviation lower score in cognition; 95% confidence interval: 1.76; 1.62, 1.90). Adjustment for mental and physical health plus household shielding status had no impact on these results, whereas controlling for educational attainment led to partial attenuation but the probability of hesitancy was still elevated (1.52; 1.37, 1.67). There was a linear association for vaccine hesitancy across the full range of cognition scores (p for trend: p<0.0001).

Limitations

Our outcome was based on intention rather than behaviour.

Conclusions

Erroneous social media reports might have complicated personal decision-making, leading to people with lower cognitive ability test scores being vaccine-hesitant. With people with lower cognition also experiencing higher rates of COVID-19 in studies conducted prior to vaccine distribution, these new findings are suggestive of a potential additional disease burden.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Conflict of interest: None.