Uptake of COVID-19 vaccine booster doses is an important public health topic of study to prevent morbidity and mortality in underserved U.S. populations. However, limited research exists on COVID-19 vaccine booster use and willingness - including its associated factors - among Asian Americans (AA): the fastest growing racial group in the U.S. This study collected survey data from 447 AA adults from three large AA subgroups: Chinese, Korean, and Filipino. Data were collected as part of a community-driven county-wide needs assessment conducted in collaboration with AA community organizations in Riverside County, California. Data indicated that nearly 24% of AA participants received at least four doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, with 36% expressing definite willingness to receive future booster doses. Participants reported experiencing an average of 1.6 instances of racial discrimination across their lifetime. Ordered logistic regression and marginal effects analysis revealed ethnicity, education, racial discrimination, preexisting health conditions, and the number of prior COVID-19 vaccine doses received significantly predicted willingness to receive future vaccine doses. The study suggests that key social factors such as racial discrimination may play an important role in influencing public health efforts to promote vaccine uptake in diverse Asian American populations.

Objectives

Minimal research has assessed COVID-19's unique impact on the Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (NH/PI) population-an Indigenous-colonized racial group with social and health disparities that increase their risk for COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. To address this gap, we explored the scope of COVID-19 outcomes, vaccination status, and health in diverse NH/PI communities.

Methods

NH/PI staff at partner organizations collected survey data from April through November 2021 from 319 community-dwelling NH/PI adults in 5 states with large NH/PI populations: Arkansas, California, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Pearson χ² tests, independent and paired t tests, and linear and logistic regression analyses.

Results

During the COVID-19 pandemic, 30% of survey participants had contracted COVID-19, 16% had a close family member who died of the disease, and 64% reported COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Thirty percent reported fair/poor health, 21% currently smoked cigarettes, and 58% reported obesity. Survey participants reported heightened COVID-19-related psychosocial distress (mean score = 4.9 on 10-point scale), which was more likely when health outcomes (general health, sleep, obesity) were poor or a family member had died of COVID-19. Logistic regression indicated that age, experiencing COVID-19 distress, and past-year use of influenza vaccines were associated with higher odds of COVID-19 vaccine uptake (1.06, 1.18, and 7.58 times, respectively).

Conclusions

Our empirical findings highlight the acute and understudied negative impact of COVID-19 on NH/PI communities in the United States and suggest new avenues for improving NH/PI community health, vaccination, and recovery from COVID-19.