Table 1 Characteristics of participants included in the analysis (n = 537)
From: Rheumatic disease patient decision-making about COVID-19 vaccination: a qualitative analysis
Characteristic | Mean ± SD or Frequency (%) |
|---|---|
Age (years) | 64.4 ± 11.9 |
 ≥ 65 years old | 288 (53.6) |
Female | 468 (87.2) |
White | 503 (93.6) |
Education (years) | 15.3 ± 2.2 |
Rural residence | 116 (21.7) |
United States resident | 503 (93.7) |
Primary diagnosisa | |
Rheumatoid arthritis | 291 (56.6) |
Dupuytren’s | 90 (17.5) |
Osteoarthritis | 43 (8.4) |
Systemic lupus erythematosus | 22 (4.3) |
Fibromyalgia | 24 (4.7) |
Psoriatic arthritis | 14 (2.7) |
Ankylosing spondylitis | 5 (1.0) |
Other | 25 (4.9) |
Comorbid conditionsb | |
History of cancer | 156 (33.3) |
History of pulmonary disorder | 251 (53.6) |
History of heart disease | 204 (43.6) |
Disease activity | Â |
Pain Visual Analog Score (0–10) | 4.0 ± 2.8 |
Patient global Visual Analog Score (0–10) | 3.5 ± 2.4 |
HAQ-II (0–3)g | 0.7 ± 0.6 |
Medicationsc | Â |
Any conventional synthetic DMARDg | 219 (49.8) |
Methotrexate | 132 (30.0) |
Leflunomide | 29 (6.6) |
Sulfasalazine | 18 (4.1) |
Mycophenolate | 4 (0.9) |
Cyclophosphamide | 1 (0.2) |
Any biologic DMARDg | 174 (39.5) |
Rituximab | 17 (3.9) |
Janus kinase inhibitor | 18 (4.1) |
Glucocorticoid | 90 (20.5) |
COVID-19g vaccine intentions | Â |
Not intending to get vaccinated/undecided | 36 (6.7) |
Vaccinated/intending to get vaccinated | 531 (93.3) |
Peri-vaccine DMARDg management | Â |
No medication changesd | 387 (77.6) |
Medication changed at direction of physiciand | 72 (14.4) |
Medication changed by patientd | 57 (11.4) |
Vaccine decision factors/attitudes | Â |
COVID-19g positive (currently or in the past)e | 81 (15.1) |
Frustrations with vaccine access | 33 (6.1) |
Reported COVID-19g vaccine side effectsd | 411 (76.5) |
Expressed any concerns about vaccinef | 447 (83.2) |
Concerns about side effects | 384 (71.5) |
Concerns about DMARDg management/flares | 105 (19.6) |
Concerns about effectiveness | 27 (5.0) |
Mistrust/vaccine not needed | 20 (3.7) |