COVID-19 Vaccination and People Living with HIV in Thailand, Research Study Supported by Sabin Vaccine Institute

 

November 18, 2021 – Adam’s Love Global Foundation for MSM and Transgender Health (ALGO) announced today that an interdisciplinary research team has been selected as a partner for the Sabin Vaccine Institute’s Vaccine Acceptance & Demand Initiative 2021 Social and Behavioral Grants Program. The team, led by Tarandeep Anand and Chattiya Nitpolprasert, is one of 10 selected projects from around the world that will apply a range of social and behavioral science approaches to investigate locally suitable solutions to support COVID-19 vaccine and routine immunization acceptance and uptake over the next year.

 

“We are proud to have been selected as a 2021 Social and Behavioral Grant Partner,” said Tarandeep Anand, CEO of ALGO. “Given the paucity of data on ‘vaccine information needs, vaccine seeking patterns and challenges among people living with HIV (PLHIV)’, the Sabin Vaccine Institute’s Vaccine Acceptance & Demand Initiative grant is critical for us to conduct a comprehensive assessment surrounding COVID-19 vaccination among Thai men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV. Our research has the potential to turn the tide of the pandemic and its impact on routine immunization by offering locally relevant solutions for increasing vaccination coverage among key populations. We look forward to sharing our results next year.” 

 

This project entitled "COVID-19 Vaccination and People Living with HIV in Thailand: Information Needs, Decision-Making, Vaccine Seeking Patterns, Determinants of Uptake, Challenges and Solutions" and led by Tarandeep Anand and Chattiya Nitpolprasert at ALGO Foundation will assess the COVID-19 vaccination information needs and vaccine seeking behaviors, decision-making and physiosocial determinants of the COVID-19 vaccine uptake among Thai MSM living with HIV. “Our study aims to address the unique challenges inherent in COVID-19 vaccine access for populations in the most fragile contexts,” said Nitpolprasert, study co-PI. “Our efforts will result in a better understanding of the enablers and barriers to COVID-19 vaccination, provide critical insight into vaccine needs of Thais living with HIV and help refine and tailor interventions for better health outcomes.” 

 

Established in 2019, the Social and Behavioral Research Grants Program initially funded three on-the-ground research projects exploring childhood and routine vaccination acceptance among communities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Now in its third year, the program has expanded to 10 grant partners located in eight LMICs, with research reprioritized to account for and respond to the impact of the pandemic on vaccine acceptance and uptake. Central to the objectives of the 2021 grant partnership are efforts to develop and disseminate evidence-informed knowledge and solutions-based strategies from the research.  

 

“The COVID-19 pandemic remains a challenge to global communities through its continued waves of infection, emergence of variants, and infodemic; all of which also impact upon routine immunization programs, requiring a closer look at how we approach vaccine acceptance and uptake worldwide,” said Kate Hopkins, Sabin’s Director of Research, Vaccine Acceptance & Demand. “We look forward to supporting the exciting and diverse work of the 2021 grant partners as they explore how different community-centric approaches may serve to improve public health responses, particularly in terms of vaccine equity, marginalized populations and implementation of effective social media and messaging strategies to tackle misinformation.”     

 

 

 The Sabin Vaccine Institute is a leading advocate for expanding vaccine access and uptake globally, advancing vaccine research and development, and amplifying vaccine knowledge and innovation. Unlocking the potential of vaccines through partnership, Sabin has built a robust ecosystem of funders, innovators, implementers, practitioners, policy makers and public stakeholders to advance its vision of a future free from preventable diseases. As a non-profit with more than two decades of experience, Sabin is committed to finding solutions that last and extending the full benefits of vaccines to all people, regardless of who they are or where they live. At Sabin, we believe in the power of vaccines to change the world. For more information, visit www.sabin.org and follow us on Twitter, @SabinVaccine. 

Adam’s Love (www.adamslove.org/thailand) by the Adam’s Love Global (ALGO) Foundation for MSM and Transgender Health (www.adamslove.org) is a leading HIV outreach initiative addressing the health needs of communities living with HIV in Asia and is at the forefront of designing novel service delivery models, implementing innovative technology-based interventions and conducting health behavior research among MSM. For more information, visit www.adamslove.org/thailand and follow us on Twitter, @adamsloveglobal. 

 

Get to Know Five of Sabin's 2021 Social and Behavioral Research Grant Partners
Projects are focused on understanding the barriers to vaccine acceptance amongst marginalized populations ranging from Central America to South Asia.

COVID-19 Vaccination and People Living with HIV in Thailand: Information Needs, Decision-Making, Vaccine Seeking Patterns, Determinants of Uptake, Challenges and Solutions  
The research study led by Tarandeep Anand, CEO of the Adam’s Love Global Foundation for Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) and Transgender Health (ALGO), and Chattiya Nitpolprasert, social and behavioral researcher and PhD candidate at the Amsterdam University Medical Center, this project will assess decision-making behaviors among people living with HIV, encompass physiosocial aspects of their COVID-19 acceptance and explore solutions to vaccine service access and delivery. Findings from in-depth interviews and focus group discussions among 30 MSM living with HIV, 50 community workers affiliated with HIV care clinics, and healthcare providers at major vaccination centers in red zone provinces will inform a quantitative online questionnaire among 300 to 500 MSM living with HIV across Thailand.

 

“Our study aims to address the unique challenges inherent in COVID-19 vaccine access for populations in the most fragile contexts,” said Nitpolprasert. “Our efforts will result in a better understanding of the enablers and barriers to COVID-19 vaccination, provide critical insight into vaccine needs of Thais living with HIV and help refine and tailor interventions for better health outcomes.”