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Abstract

Objectives: Immunocompromised individuals face heightened risks from vaccine-preventable diseases, including People Living with HIV (PLHIV), who are further vulnerable due to socio-economic and comorbidity factors, as underscored by the recent COVID-19 pandemic. This study employed a scoping review to identify barriers and facilitators to vaccination in immunocompromised individuals. It also includes a cross-sectional study focused on COVID-19 vaccines in PLHIV to highlight socio-economic and health-related factors influencing vaccine uptake and hesitancy. Methods: The scoping review was guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute’s framework encompassing studies published between January 1974 and July 25, 2022, in academic databases and grey-literature sources. Subsequently, a 34-item anonymous survey was distributed to PLHIV via e-newsletters through HIV/AIDS-related organisations in British Columbia. The survey, conducted between November 2022 and January 2023, collected information on socio-demographics, COVID-19-vulnerability factors, HIV indicators, and vaccine hesitancy scores using the validated adult Vaccine Hesitancy Scale. Descriptive (means and frequencies) and inferential statistics, including ANOVA and Binary logistic regression, were conducted to detect factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and vaccine uptake. Significant level (p