Digital Health Literacy and Vaccine Acceptance Among Adults: A Multicenter Public Health Assessment

James Whitaker¹, Emily Clarke², Grace Davies³

Abstract

 

Background: Digital platforms have become major sources of health information, yet misinformation may influence vaccine acceptance.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey involving 5,210 adults from six regions of the United Kingdom was conducted. Participants completed validated digital health literacy and vaccine confidence scales. Multivariable logistic regression identified determinants of vaccine acceptance.

Results: Overall vaccine acceptance was 78.4%. Participants with high digital health literacy demonstrated significantly greater acceptance (89.1% vs 63.5%; p<0.001). High literacy scores were independently associated with vaccine uptake (adjusted OR 2.84; 95% CI 2.32–3.47; p<0.001). Exposure to misinformation at least weekly increased hesitancy by 68% (OR 1.68; p<0.001). The final model explained 41% of variance in vaccine acceptance and achieved an AUC of 0.83.

Conclusion: Digital health literacy plays a critical role in vaccine acceptance and should be incorporated into future public health communication strategies.