Understanding the factors influencing vaccine hesitancy among African migrants: a scoping review

Abstract

Vaccines are essential to global public health efforts, yet vaccine hesitancy remains high among African migrants, including both immigrants and refugees globally. This scoping review presents the findings of studies regarding the drivers and mitigators of vaccine hesitancy among this population. A literature search was conducted in OVID Medline, OVID Embase, EBSCO CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science. This scoping review was conducted using the framework developed by Levac et al. The search identified 4,696 articles, and following the removal of duplicates and screening according to our inclusion/exclusion criteria, 24 articles were eligible for inclusion. The included articles were based on studies conducted in 8 countries, with the United States being the most represented. We identified 24 drivers and 13 mitigators of vaccine hesitancy across six themes: trust, influential opinions, knowledge and understanding, fear, policy, and belief and perception. This review used the socio-ecological model to discuss our findings, offering a layered understanding of how contextual factors shape vaccine hesitancy in this demographic. The diversity of factors among different countries of origin and arrival highlights the relevance of exploring vaccine hesitancy across different contexts. This study provides essential insights for public health professionals and policymakers seeking to improve vaccination acceptance in African migrant communities.