Determinants of non-compliance with additional booster doses of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in people living with HIV (PWH): an observational study based on a behavioral and epidemiological survey in Rome (Italy)
Author(s)
Del Duca, Giulia
Sperduti, Isabella
Cozzi Lepri, Alessandro
Mazzotta, Valentina
Drobniewski, Francis
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Rejection of new anti-SARS-CoV-2 booster doses among immunosuppressed and elderly individuals may be a concern, especially as the intention to vaccinate does not always translate into actual behavior. Few studies have addressed this issue in people living with HIV (PWH). We investigated attitudes of PWH toward SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, focusing on factors associated with noncompliance with additional vaccine doses (AVDs, 4th and 5th). We analyzed participants of the prospective observational HIV-VAC study conducted at the National Institute for Infectious Diseases “L. Spallanzani” IRCCS, Rome (September 2022–June 2023). Eligible patients with complete vaccination schedules were voluntarily recruited and completed a 13-item survey on demographics and vaccination attitudes. Multivariate logistic regression was used to describe the relationship between “compliant” vs. “non-compliant” groups. Of 316 participants, 240 (75.9%) were compliant and 76 (24.1%) non-compliant. Compliance was 70% for the fourth and 30% for the fifth dose; noncompliance was 19.9% and 4.1%, respectively. Older age (p = .012) and information from non-institutional sources (p < .0001) were associated with higher noncompliance. Among non-compliant participants, 34.4% reported concerns about side effects. In PWH aged >50, fear of side effects and reliance on unofficial information sources are major barriers to AVD uptake. Non-compliant individuals tend to persist in their refusal over time. Tailored communication and healthcare professional training are crucial to improve vaccine adherence, and further multicenter studies are warranted.
Date Issued
2025-12-01
Date Acceptance
2025-10-21
Citation
Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 2025, 21 (1)
ISSN
2164-5515
Publisher
Taylor & Francis Group
Start Page
2582964
Journal / Book Title
Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics
Volume
21
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© 2025 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4. 0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/41195641
Subjects
COVID-19 infection
COVID-19 vaccination
actual behavior
booster doses
vaccine acceptance
vaccine hesitancy
Humans
Male
Female
Middle Aged
HIV Infections
COVID-19 Vaccines
Rome
Adult
COVID-19
Prospective Studies
Immunization, Secondary
Patient Compliance
Surveys and Questionnaires
SARS-CoV-2
Vaccination
Aged
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
United States
Article Number
2582964
Date Publish Online
2025-11-06