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Behavioural and social drivers of vaccination among child and adult migrants in Morocco: A qualitative interview study

Bouaddi, O; Khalis, M; Abdellatifi, M; Seedat, F; Deal, A; Chemao-Elfihri, W; Assarag, B; Chrifi, H; Chavassieux, N; Sorie Turay, IM; et al. Bouaddi, O; Khalis, M; Abdellatifi, M; Seedat, F; Deal, A; Chemao-Elfihri, W; Assarag, B; Chrifi, H; Chavassieux, N; Sorie Turay, IM; Gohi, CK; Oufkir, T; Requena-Méndez, A; Hargreaves, S; Evangelidou, S (2025) Behavioural and social drivers of vaccination among child and adult migrants in Morocco: A qualitative interview study. Vaccine, 56. p. 127166. ISSN 0264-410X https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2025.127166
SGUL Authors: Hargreaves, Sally

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Abstract

vaccination across the life course for all groups including migrants. The aim of this study is to explore factors driving uptake of vaccination among migrants in Morocco. Methods: We conducted a multi-site exploratory qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with adult migrants and health professionals in Morocco. We did a hybrid thematic analysis guided by the WHO’s Behavioural and Social Drivers of Vaccination (BeSD) uptake framework. Results: We interviewed 23 migrant participants (15/23 female, mean age 30.0 years ±2.0, average time of stay in Morocco 4.72 years ±8.79) and 8 primary care professionals. We found that although migrant children and adults were entitled to free vaccinations, various individual, social, and practical issues influenced their moti vation and uptake. For childhood vaccination, caregivers showed high confidence in vaccine benefits and safety, but faced administrative difficulties, limited information, orientation, and language barriers. For adult vacci nation, mistrust and scepticism toward specific vaccines, such as the COVID-19 vaccine, persisted, mainly due to misinformation. Except for the tetanus vaccine for pregnant women and the COVID-19 vaccine, migrant adults were rarely offered adult or catch-up vaccinations, often due to the absence of health worker recommendations and non-verification of vaccine history. Migrants emphasized the need for improved communication with health professionals and addressing language barriers and called for increased sensitization to reduce vaccine scepticism and hesitancy, better information on service locations, particularly through community-based organizations and outreach efforts for hard-to-reach migrants. Conclusions: Despite entitlement to vaccination services, vaccination uptake among migrants in Morocco may be influenced by various individual, social, and practical factors. Tailored and targeted interventions are urgently needed, including efforts to prioritize improving communication with health professionals, removing language barriers, and developing appropriate delivery and communication strategies for these communities

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Keywords: Migrants, Refugees, Vaccine-preventable diseases, Immunization, Life course, Morocco
SGUL Research Institute / Research Centre: Academic Structure > Infection and Immunity Research Institute (INII)
Journal or Publication Title: Vaccine
ISSN: 0264-410X
Language: en
Publisher License: Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0
Projects:
Project IDFunderFunder ID
LCF/PR/SP21/52930003La CaixaUNSPECIFIED
NIHR300072National Institute for Health ResearchUNSPECIFIED
NIHR134801National Institute for Health ResearchUNSPECIFIED
MRC/N013638/1Medical Research CouncilUNSPECIFIED
318501/Z/24/ZWellcome TrustUNSPECIFIED
UNSPECIFIEDWorld Health OrganizationUNSPECIFIED
MRC/N013638/1Medical Research CouncilUNSPECIFIED
URI: https://openaccess.sgul.ac.uk/id/eprint/117628
Publisher's version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2025.127166

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