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Vol. 3 No. 1 (2026)

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Submitted
July 23, 2026
Published
September 21, 2026

Copyright (c) 2026 Basim Alkhlfan, Ibrahim Alasafrah, Ahmed Al Hashim, Candace Hernandez, Kenneth A. Knapp

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Landscape of Vaccine Hesitancy (2015–2025) Across General, Selected, and High-Risk Saudi Populations: A Scoping Review

https://doi.org/10.64483/202631745
Basim Alkhlfan
Department of Public Health, School of Health Sciences and Practice, New York Medical College, 40 Sunshine Cottage Road, Valhalla, NY 10595, United States, United States
Ibrahim Alasafrah
Public Health Department, Public Health Authority of Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz Road, Al Aarid, Riyadh 13354, Saudi Arabia
Ahmed Al Hashim
Department of Preventive Medicine, Qatif Preventive Medicine Center, Ministry of Health, Abdul Rahman Ibn Dinar Street, Al Jazirah, Al Qatif 32636, Saudi Arabia
Candace Hernandez
The Phillip Capozzi, M.D., Library, New York Medical College, 40 Sunshine Cottage Road, Valhalla, NY 10595, United States
Kenneth A. Knapp
Department of Public Health, School of Health Sciences and Practice, New York Medical College, 40 Sunshine Cottage Road, Valhalla, NY 10595, United States

Corresponding Author(s) : Basim Alkhlfan

balkhlfa@student.touro.edu

Saudi Journal of Medicine and Public Health, Vol. 3 No. 1 (2026)

Abstract

Abstract


Introduction: In Saudi Arabia, vaccine hesitancy (VH) has continued to hinder herd immunity. Hence, this scoping review charted VH determinants and pandemic impacts, based on studies conducted in Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2025 across general, selected, and high-risk Saudi populations.


Methods: Following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, a search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL to retrieve and include relevant records published in English or Arabic from 2015 to 2025.


Results: The 53 included cross-sectional studies represented 47,076 participants. General VH ranged from low to high rates across target populations. Routine childhood vaccines (RCV) maintained high acceptance. In contrast, COVID-19, influenza, and HPV vaccines experienced higher VH, associated with low confidence and high complacency, driven primarily by vaccine safety concerns and low perceived disease severity, respectively, which were intensified by infodemics. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic triggered initial acceptance, followed by post-pandemic stabilisation of VH toward new vaccines across the different cohorts.


Conclusion: While RCV has maintained acceptance, trust in newer vaccines has eroded due to perceived low risk and safety concerns, which were intensified by infodemics.

Keywords

Hesitancy; COVID-19; Vaccine; Saudi Arabia; Review
Alkhlfan, B., Alasafrah, I., Al Hashim, A., Hernandez, C., & A. Knapp, K. (2026). Landscape of Vaccine Hesitancy (2015–2025) Across General, Selected, and High-Risk Saudi Populations: A Scoping Review. Saudi Journal of Medicine and Public Health, 3(1), 161–171. https://doi.org/10.64483/202631745
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