Determinants of students' willingness to accept a measles–mumps–rubella booster vaccination during a mumps outbreak: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundDespite high vaccination coverage, a mumps outbreak that affected mainly vaccinated university students and their contacts took place in the Netherlands in the period 2009–2012. We presented university students with a hypothetical case in which we offered them a measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) booster vaccination to control the mumps outbreak. The aim of this study was to get insight into the determinants of university students' willingness to accept this vaccination.MethodsA questionnaire containing 38 items was developed for the purpose of assessing students' willingness and the psychosocial and social demographic determinants influencing their willingness to accept an MMR booster vaccination. In addition, we explored how organisational characteristics influenced the willingness to be vaccinated. Data were collected at six Dutch universities; a total of 790 students from various faculties were invited to participate. This was a convenience sampling procedure.Results687 university students participated (response rate 87.0 %) and 60.4 % of the participants said they would be willing accept the hypothetical MMR booster vaccination. The perceived seriousness of mumps (OR 6.1) was the most important predictor of willingness to accept vaccination. Students who expected the MMR vaccination to be effective and to prevent individual illness and who believed their own vaccination would help stop the epidemic were more likely to be willing than others. The students were more willing to accept vaccination when they perceived that the social norms of significant others and the government favoured vaccination. Organisational characteristics, such as offering vaccination cost free and offering it at the university site, increased students’ willingness.ConclusionDuring a mumps outbreak, university students were generally willing to accept a hypothetical MMR booster vaccination. Risk perception, outcome expectations, perceived social norms, and organisational characteristics should be taken into account in the planning of any vaccination campaign for university students during an outbreak of an infectious disease.

Vaccination Perceptions of College Students: With and without Vaccination Waiver

“…As demonstrated by their scores on the benefits of vaccination questions, respondents, with and without waivers, ranked vaccinations as an effective way to control and prevent the onset of disease as the highest ranked benefits. This finding aligns with another study among university students that found the number one priority of vaccination to be protection against diseases that are life threatening or that greatly impact the quality of life ( 38 ). This finding is important because it provides the university healthcare community with insight into the viewpoint of the reasons why a young adult population views vaccinations as beneficial.…”

Institutional quality and COVID-19 vaccination: does decentralization matter?

“…Other papers have focused instead on demand side factors, examining the determinants of vaccine hesitancy and the role of individual factors influencing uptake. Donkers et al ( 2015 ) show how the perceived seriousness of Mumps increases vaccination rates among Dutch university students. Similarly, in the context of the current pandemic, Viswanath et al ( 2021 ) show how individual perception of risk of becoming infected or by proximity with casualties from the disease, decreases vaccine hesitancy.…”