Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40323983›Full record

ArticlePloS one2025

Discrimination of a single-item scale to measure intention to have a COVID-19 vaccine.

Julius Sim, Louise E Smith, Richard Amlôt, G James Rubin, Nick Sevdalis, Susan M Sherman

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Julius SimSchool of Medicine, Keele University, Keele, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1816-1676
Louise E SmithBehavioural Science and Insights Unit, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom.
Richard AmlôtBehavioural Science and Insights Unit, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom.
G James RubinNIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Emergency Preparedness and Response, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
Nick SevdalisCentre for Behavioural and Implementation Science Interventions, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
Susan M ShermanSchool of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6708-3398

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimWhen developing public health measures in a pandemic, it is important to examine attitudes and beliefs relating to vaccination uptake. We report the discrimination of a single-item vaccination intention scale and derive cutpoints in terms of sensitivity (true positives) and specificity (true negatives) in relation to subsequent vaccination status. SUBJECT AND

methodsIn a sample of UK adults (n=1119) recruited through an online survey platform, vaccination intention was measured on a 0-10 numerical rating scale (0=very unlikely, 10=very likely) at the beginning of the UK COVID-19 vaccination rollout (January 2021), and self-reported vaccination status was gathered after vaccination had been offered to all adults (October 2021). Discrimination of the scale was measured by the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

resultsThe responders reporting being vaccinated or unvaccinated were 1034 (92.4%) and 85 (7.6%), respectively. The area under the ROC curve was.956 (95% CI.943,.967), indicating a high degree of discrimination. The combined value of sensitivity and specificity was greatest at a cutpoint of 8 on the scale (sensitivity =.821, specificity =.988). If, however, the individual values of sensitivity and specificity are required to be simultaneously optimized, this occurs at point 6 (sensitivity =.886, specificity =.871).

conclusionWe recommend a 0-10 intention scale as a validated, practical measure of vaccination intention in public health practice, with a cutpoint of 8 on the scale as optimal, unless sensitivity and specificity are to be simultaneously optimized, when 6 is the optimal cutpoint.

Indexed as

COVID-19COVID-19 VaccinesIntentionVaccinationAdolescentAdultAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedROC CurveSARS-CoV-2Surveys and QuestionnairesUnited KingdomYoung AdultCOVID-19 Vaccines

Identifiers

PMID40323983
PMCPMC12052102

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.