COVID-19 Vaccine: Vaccine Acceptance, Risk Perception, and Attitude Towards Vaccination among College Students and Staff in the Southeastern Universities, Nigeria

Abstract

University students occupy a strategic position in the spread of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) as they regularly travel around different locations with differing prevalence of the disease. This study was carried out to evaluate the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines among university staffs and students in Southeastern universities of Nigeria. Self-administered anonymous online survey was conducted between 28th February and 30th June 2021, using various online social media handles. A total of 769 students and staff members participated in the study. Descriptive statistics for socio-demographics and other parameters were performed. The relationships between tested parameters were ascertained using bivariate Pearson’s correlation. Multiple linear regression analyses were done to determine associations. All statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS statistics 23 and P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant at 95% CI. The respondents were 48.1% female and 51.9% male with a mean age of 24.4 years. The acceptance rate of COVID-19 vaccine was 25.6% and 82.2% of participants expressed concern about the side effects of the vaccine. While the age, gender and states of respondents were positively associated, their faculties were negatively associated with risk perception of COVID-19 vaccine. Also, the various faculties, university affiliations (P = 0.029), and age (P = 0.023) of the respondents were negatively associated, while the State of the respondents (P = 0.01) was positively associated with attitudes towards general COVID-19 vaccination. There is need for more robust information and better dissemination of such among the public to boost their confidence in COVID-19 vaccination.

Predictors of COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance among Healthcare Workers in Nigeria

“…As a result, it is neccessary to assess the predictors of vaccine acceptance among HCWs, which will assist institutions and policy experts in allocating resources to maximize uptake. Contrary to this, some other studies [20][21][22] had a lower female respondents. The majority of the participants (59.3%) were amenable to COVID-19 vaccination, with the age group 37-47 having the highest vaccine acceptance of (68.3%) while the oldest age group, 59-69, had the least vaccine acceptance of (55.1%).…”

Predictors of COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance among Healthcare Workers in Nigeria

“…This study’s larger proportion of female participants is consistent with the findings of prior studies [ 13 , 19 , 30 ]. In contrast, fewer women responded in some other trials [ 31 , 32 , 33 ]. The majority of participants (59.3%) were open to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, with the youngest age group, 37–47, having the highest vaccine acceptance (68.3%), and the oldest, 59–69, having the lowest (55.1%).…”