Table 1 Table showing the eligible papers for analysis of vaccine hesitancy n = 7

Chimatiro et al. [19]

Barriers affecting COVID-19 vaccination in Phalombe District, Malawi: a qualitative study

Cross-sectional qualitative study employing six focus group discussions (FGDs) and 19 in-depth interviews (IDIs) to collect data

The paper looks into reasons for vaccine refusal and hesitancy, how contextual cultural beliefs influenced people’s decision to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and which sources of information were trusted in the community

Safary and Mtaita [20]

A qualitative exploration of perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine in Malawi during the vaccine rollout phase

Online survey to collect free-text responses to assess factors leading to hesitation or refusal of COVID-19 vaccination in Malawi

The paper looks into factors leading to hesitation and/or refusal to COVID-19 vaccination in Malawi

Ao et al. [21]

Acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines among adults in Lilongwe, Malawi: a cross-sectional study based on the health belief model

A cross-sectional design was used for this field-based survey

The purpose of this study was to investigate current vaccination rates for COVID-19 among Malawians, assess the level of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Malawians, and explore the factors influencing vaccination and willingness to be vaccinated against COVID-19

Aron et al. [22]

Attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines among patients with complex non-communicable disease and their caregivers in rural Malawi

This cross-sectional study was nested in a prospective open cohort study among patients with complex NCDs in Neno

The paper advocates for strong trust in health care workers and community engagement that could help increase vaccine acceptance

Ojong and Agbe [23]

“This is most likely not the correct vaccine”: analyzing COVID-19’s viral spread and vaccine anxieties in Ghana, Cameroon, and Malawi

This paper uses a qualitative research approach that included 144 semi-structured interviews

The focus of this paper is on vaccine anxiety, which is a significantly understudied area in the public health discourse. Specifically, the authors examined how social and political dynamics shaped people’s perspectives in particular environments in Ghana, Cameroon, and Malawi about COVID-19 vaccines and the spread of COVID-19

Holden et al. [24]

Religion, beliefs, trust, and COVID vaccination behavior among rural people in Malawi

Quantitative research approach

This study investigated the religious and other beliefs related to the corona/COVID-19 pandemic and how they are related to COVID-19 risk perceptions, trust in COVID vaccines, and how these are affected by the religious beliefs, religious affiliations, trust in authorities, generalized trust, and how these affect vaccine demand/vaccine hesitancy

Mchawa et al. [25]

Assessing SARS-CoV-2 vaccine hesitancy among the people living with and without HIV from May to September 2022 in Blantyre, Malawi

Cross-sectional study

To find out the status of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine hesitancy among PLHIV and explore the influencing factors from May to September 2022 in Blantyre, Malawi, and then put forward feasible measures to improve the situation based on the findings