Factors Influencing COVID-19 Vaccination Intentions Among College Students: A Cross-Sectional Study in India

Abstract

Background: Students act as messengers in delivering effective messages for better uptake of health-promoting behavior. Understanding their knowledge about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), intentions to use the COVID-19 vaccine, and its associated factors will help develop promising strategies in vaccine promotion concerning the current COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was carried out among students in the healthcare and non-healthcare sectors to assess their intentions to get vaccinated against the COVID-19. A non-probability snowball sampling technique was used to recruit study participants (N = 655) through social media platforms and emails. Study participants were recruited across the country, including six major geographical regions (Eastern, Western, Northern, Southern, North-east, and Central) in India between November 2020 and January 2021 before the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine. Descriptive statistics were used to present the sociodemographic, and vaccine-related behaviors of the study participants. Key determinants that likely predict vaccine acceptance among students were modeled using logistic regression analysis. For each analysis, p < 0.05 was considered significant.Results: A total of 655 students were recruited, 323 from healthcare and 332 from non-healthcare sectors, to assess their intentions to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Of the 655 students, 63.8% expressed intentions to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The acceptance was higher among non-healthcare students (54.07 vs. 45.93%). At the time of the study, 27.8% of the students indicated that they had been exposed to a confirmed COVID-19 patient. A vast majority (93.4%) of the students knew about the COVID-19 virus, and most (89.3%) of them were aware of the development of a COVID-19 vaccine. The history of vaccine hesitancy was found to be low (17.1%). Only one-third (33.4%) of the students showed concern about contracting COVID-19. Trust in the healthcare system [adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 4.13; (95% CI: 2.83–6.04), p < 0.00] and trust in domestic vaccines [aOR: 1.46; (95% CI: 1.02–2.08), p < 0.05] emerged as the significant predictors of student's intention to get vaccinated. Higher acceptance for vaccine was observed among students in the non-healthcare [aOR: 1.982; 95% CI: 1.334–2.946, p < 0.00].Conclusion: This study shows that the Indian college students had relatively high levels of positive intentions to receive COVID-19 vaccines, although about one-third were not sure or unwilling to receive the vaccine, highlighting possible vaccine hesitancy. Informational campaigns and other strategies to address vaccine hesitancy are needed to promote uptake of COVID-19 vaccines.

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

“…The highest respondents were in the age group of 15-25 years (554; 72.0%) followed by those within the age group of 26-36 years (165; 21.5%), while the least number of respondents were within the age group 59-69 years (6; 0.8%). Most of the respondents were Igbos (647; 84.1%), and there were more male 399 (51.9%) than female (47.7%) participants in the survey study, in contrast with the study by Jain et al [14], which had more female respondents.…”

“…The multivariable analysis in this study shows that the various faculties of the respondents were negatively associated with the COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, and the gender of the respondents was positively associated with risk perception of COVID-19 vaccine. Contrastingly, Jain et al [14] revealed that those who trusted the healthcare system (vs. those who did not trust) and those who had con dence in domestic vaccines (vs. those who did not have con dence) had higher odds of reporting willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccines. Furthermore, the university a liation of respondents in this study was negatively associated with risk perception, while age, gender and states of respondents were positively associated with risk perception of COVID-19 vaccine, and various faculties of the respondents is negatively associated with risk perception of COVID-19 vaccine.…”

“…The number of respondents in this study is lower than 3089 gotten in France [15], 3805 in Lebanon [16], and 1062 in South Carolina USA [5], but higher than 330 gotten in China [17], 440 in the Northwestern Nigeria [18], 423 in Ethopia [19], 282 in a Southern USA University [20], and 655 in India [14]. The disparity in the numbers of respondents may depend partly on ease of respondents' access to questionnaires, location, culture, and/or the readiness of respondents to respond to the questionnaire.…”

Factors Associated With the Vaccination Behavior Among COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitant College Students in Wuhan, China: A Survey Based on Social Psychological Dimension

“…Studies have found that the overall quality and credibility of the information about the COVID-19 vaccine on the famous video sharing platform YouTube is poor, and the false information contained therein may reduce people's COVID-19 vaccination rate ( 39 ). Jain et al suggest that it is pertinent to design an evidence-based strategy to promote the uptake of vaccination among students, which could include informational campaigns that address vaccine hesitancy ( 40 ). Therefore, the government needs to strengthen the popularization of vaccine knowledge and correcting misinformation to improve people's trust in the vaccine, thereby improving the hesitators' willingness to vaccinate ( 41 , 42 ).…”

Determination of the factors affecting covid-19 vaccine acceptance among the university students of Centro Escolar University-Manila

“…They got check-ups before acquiring the COVID-19 vaccine to ensure their safety and the effectiveness of the vaccine to the body. In direct claims stated that healthcare vaccinations influenced the acceptance of the general populations of COVID-19 vaccine [8]. Furthermore, most medical and nonmedical students were encouraged by influential people on social media platforms to be vaccinated.…”