Date of Conferral

12-12-2024

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Health

Advisor

Lee Caplan

Abstract

COVID-19 vaccines have been available in the United States since December 2020. However, very few studies have looked at the serious health outcomes reported by those who received a COVID-19 vaccine. Guided by the social ecological model, factors associated with reported serious health outcomes and deaths within the first 2 months after taking a COVID-19 vaccine were examined. A total of 720,210 cases from the U.S. Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System data from December 2020 to December 2022 were analyzed using multiple logistic regression and multinomial logistic regression to determine if medical conditions predict the number of reported deaths and the serious health outcomes, respectively, and using Goodman and Kruskal's λ to determine if there is an association between the type of COVID-19 vaccine received and the type(s) of reported serious health outcomes. After controlling for age and gender, the findings indicated that histories of certain medical conditions, including anaphylaxis, stroke, pulmonary embolism, acute myocardial infarction, myocarditis, and pericarditis, were significant predictors of the number of reported deaths (p<.05) and that there was a significant association between vaccine type and type(s) of serious health outcomes among females 34 years of age and younger (p<.05). The findings may contribute to positive social change by helping health officials refine vaccination guidelines, ensuring that people with histories of predictor medical conditions are monitored more closely postvaccination. The findings can also encourage public awareness and education campaigns about COVID-19 vaccines, which can lead to informed decision making about COVID-19 vaccines.

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