161 Black and Latino Perspectives on COVID-19 Vaccines: A Mixed-methods Examination

Abstract

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: COVID-19 vaccines were met with both public excitement and concern. Our goal was to understand individual’s attitudes about COVID-19 vaccines within Black and Latino communities deeply impacted by COVID-19, in an effort to highlight their potential similarities and differences. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Using a community-based participatory approach, we partnered with 16 leaders from community-based organizations to conduct a mixed-methods study examining the perspectives of Black and Latino communities regarding their vaccine acceptance or hesitancy. We focused on Michigan counties highly impacted by COVID-19 infection and deaths. In 2021, we interviewed 24 Black and 16 Latino residents in English or Spanish. We combined this with survey data on vaccine attitudes and behavior from the Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (n=1,800). This research is part of the NIH Community Engagement Alliance Against COVID-19. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Qualitative and quantitative analysis highlight that Black participants expressed greater mistrust and hesitance around vaccines and less willingness to get vaccinated, often citing historical mistreatment as a contributing factor. The desire to keep themselves, their families and community safe was cited as the most important factor shaping vaccine decisions among both groups. Trust in information and in science was rated as a stronger reason for vaccination among Latinx participants; however, they also appeared to highlight the issue of vaccine access more often than Black participants. Fear of side effects and risks were equally cited as factors that influenced their vaccine hesitancy. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Despite being labeled as minority communities, these two groups have important differences regarding their perspective of COVID-19 vaccines. Our results suggest that public health interventions must be tailored to address the concerns, differences in attitudes, and beliefs among Blacks and Latinos.