Vaccine hesitancy among adults living with allergy

About the Project

The global spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV2) brought the impact of vaccine-related hesitancy on healthcare planning and delivery into sharp focus (Clark et al, 2025). Concern is growing about mRNA vaccine-related hesitancy beyond COVID-19 vaccines (Xu et al, 2024) given their wide-ranging application including disease prevention, and curative therapies for cancers (Li et al, 2023; Rzymski et al, 2023).

Vaccine hesitancy is studied widely but the role of allergies in shaping vaccine concerns is less explored, particularly in the context of mRNA vaccines (Larson, 2024). Hesitancy may be heightened among adults living with allergy given perceived or actual risks associated with vaccination can appear greater to these individuals than the risks posed by the disease (Li et al, 2021). This dynamic reflects the known interplay of risk perception, cognitive biases (e.g. omission bias, availability heuristic, conformation bias), and attitudinal drivers of vaccine hesitancy that could be heightened among individuals with allergies, amplifying fears and distorting risk perceptions (Brown et al, 2010; DiBonaventura et al, 2008; Soni et al, 2021). Addressing these psychological drivers is essential for reducing vaccine hesitancy, particularly in populations with heightened concerns about allergic reactions.

Aims

We seek to recruit several PhD students to investigate vaccine-related hesitancy among adults who are living with allergy that is either clinically or self, diagnosed. Projects should explore these adults’ vaccine-related experiences and decisionmaking, and the impact of their allergy on how they access healthcare and their health-related help-seeking. Students are encouraged to consider these issues in the context of primary health care but may choose to focus on a sub-set of adults living with allergy or a specific vaccination programmes.

Methods

Quantitative methods, qualitative methodologies or a mixed research approach with primary and/or secondary data may be used. Approaches that enable capture of the role of allergy in adults’ engagement with healthcare (e.g. help-seeking, uptake of health checks and routine surveillance programmes) are encouraged.

Supervisory Team

• Director of Studies: Dr Béré Mahoney, School of Health and Wellbeing and Three Counties Medical School, University of Worcester
• Supervisors: Dr Richard Clarke, School of Education and Sciences, University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham
• Advisors: Mr Stephen O’Hickey, Consultant in Respiratory Medicine with Worcestershire Acute NHS Hospitals.

Research Group:

Living Well with Long-Term Conditions