Relationship Between Prevalence of Disability and Receiving the COVID-19 Vaccine
Disciplines
COVID-19 | Public Health
Abstract (300 words maximum)
COVID-19 vaccines were developed to reduce the spread and severity of the virus, particularly among vulnerable populations. People with disabilities are at higher risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 due to underlying health conditions, limited access to healthcare, and potential barriers to preventive measures like social distancing. Despite their vulnerability, disabled individuals may face challenges in accessing vaccines, such as physical barriers, transportation issues, or a lack of tailored information. Additionally, vaccine hesitancy may be influenced by concerns about potential side effects harming existing disabilities. This study investigates the research question: "Is there a relationship between receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and being disabled?" The primary aim is to assess whether individuals with disabilities are more or less likely to have been vaccinated, and whether those with multiple disabilities exhibit different vaccination patterns compared to those with a single disability. Our expected hypothesis is that people who are disabled are less likely to have the COVID-19 vaccine. We used a dataset that includes information on vaccination status and disability, where all values were labeled according to a predefined codebook. To ensure data integrity, we corrected for missing values before conducting further analysis. The next step involved recoding the relevant variables into nominal data categories to classify individuals as either disabled or not disabled. Additionally, we explored the potential relationship between having more than one disability and the likelihood of being vaccinated. By categorizing individuals based on the number of disabilities reported, we aim to understand if the complexity of health conditions influences vaccine uptake. The processes we will be taking to study these relationships are interpreting histograms, bar charts, significancy tables, and probability tables. The expected conclusions are that people that have a disability are less likely to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
WCHHS - Health Promotion and Physical Education
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Kevin Gittner
Relationship Between Prevalence of Disability and Receiving the COVID-19 Vaccine
COVID-19 vaccines were developed to reduce the spread and severity of the virus, particularly among vulnerable populations. People with disabilities are at higher risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 due to underlying health conditions, limited access to healthcare, and potential barriers to preventive measures like social distancing. Despite their vulnerability, disabled individuals may face challenges in accessing vaccines, such as physical barriers, transportation issues, or a lack of tailored information. Additionally, vaccine hesitancy may be influenced by concerns about potential side effects harming existing disabilities. This study investigates the research question: "Is there a relationship between receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and being disabled?" The primary aim is to assess whether individuals with disabilities are more or less likely to have been vaccinated, and whether those with multiple disabilities exhibit different vaccination patterns compared to those with a single disability. Our expected hypothesis is that people who are disabled are less likely to have the COVID-19 vaccine. We used a dataset that includes information on vaccination status and disability, where all values were labeled according to a predefined codebook. To ensure data integrity, we corrected for missing values before conducting further analysis. The next step involved recoding the relevant variables into nominal data categories to classify individuals as either disabled or not disabled. Additionally, we explored the potential relationship between having more than one disability and the likelihood of being vaccinated. By categorizing individuals based on the number of disabilities reported, we aim to understand if the complexity of health conditions influences vaccine uptake. The processes we will be taking to study these relationships are interpreting histograms, bar charts, significancy tables, and probability tables. The expected conclusions are that people that have a disability are less likely to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.