They Don't Really Consider Us Essential, But We Are
A Qualitative Investigation of Vaccine Acceptance and Perceived Workplace Safety Among Black Transit Workers During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2072926 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Khadijah Ameen (0000-0003-1076-3688, Georgia State University, corresponding author), Denise T St Jean (0000-0001-5270-3101, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Chioma Woko (0000-0001-7014-5684, University of Pennsylvania) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 1269-1279 |
| Publication date | 2024-06-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2196-8837 • E-ISSN: 2197-3792 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s40615-023-01606-5 |
| PMID | 37219734 |
| OpenAlex | W4377565875 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 29 |
Black Americans face a higher risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) morbidity and mortality due to adverse social determinants of health, including their overrepresentation in the frontline workforce. Despite these inequities, increasing vaccine acceptance among this subpopulation has been challenging. We conducted semi-structured qualitative focus groups with Black public transit workers living in the USA to explore behavioral intentions regarding COVID-19 vaccine uptake, occupational health challenges, and the perceived impact of racism on workplace health and safety during the pandemic. A thematic analysis approach was used to analyze the final transcripts. We completed three focus groups (n=10 participants) in October and November of 2021. Enabling factors for vaccination included opportunities for vaccination in the workplace, flexible hours of operation, and walk-in vaccine clinics. Disabling factors included excessive wait times. Some participants also cited lack of cleanliness, inconsistent enforcement of COVID-19 safety protocols, and unclear workplace policies regarding sick and hazard pay as major safety barriers. Perceptions regarding the role of racism in their experiences with COVID-19 as transit workers were mixed. Though occupational health and safety concerns were high, there are opportunities for transit agencies and government officials to improve both vaccine uptake and working conditions for Black transit workers
Business · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Disease · Environmental health · Focus group · Government (linguistics · Occupational safety and health · Pandemic · Political science · Public health · Qualitative research · Sociology · Thematic analysis · Workforce · COVID-19 epidemiological studies · COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts · Medicine · Nursing · Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy · Marketing
Predicting and Changing Behavior
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Covid-19 and African Americans
Leveraging media and health communication strategies to overcome the Covid-19 infodemic
Increasing Vaccination
Racial Capitalism Within Public Health—How Occupational Settings Drive Covid-19 Disparities
Revisiting Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy around the world using data from 23 countries in 2021
Covid‐19 vaccine hesitancy
Vaccine hesitancy
Racial Capitalism
Association of Covid-19 Misinformation with Face Mask Wearing and Social Distancing in a Nationally Representative US Sample
An Investigation of Associations Between Race, Ethnicity, and Past Experiences of Discrimination with Medical Mistrust and Covid-19 Protective Strategies
Encouraging Covid-19 Vaccine Uptake Through Effective Health Communication
We’re Not All in This Together
Purposeful Sampling in Qualitative Research Synthesis
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |