Perception and practice of college students regarding seasonal influenza vaccine in central area of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Influenza is a very prevalent infection all around the world. This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, barriers and factors influencing influenza (Flu) vaccination uptake among college students in Saudi Arabia's central region. Methods: A descriptive cross sectional questionnaire survey was utilized to collect the data from the study participants. Results: There were a total of 1,869 valid surveys collected. The younger age group (less than 30 years) dominated the study by a significant margin (61 %). Saudi Arabians comprised more than half of the participants (69 %). Most respondents (62%) worked in healthcare, while 35% did not.Only 35% of the study participants received the vaccine. In comparison, 44% did not 46 % recognized that the influenza vaccine is safe and effective and over half of the participants knew that the seasonal influenza vaccine is freely available at every primary health care. Nearly two-thirds of respondents (n = 592) agreed that the flu-vaccine could cause influenza and around a quarter (n = 490) thought the seasonal influenza vaccine weakens the immune system and makes people more susceptible to disease. Conclusion: Vulnerable people who have high risk of getting the influenza flue should be targeted more in regards of health education about the influenza vaccine, multi approach models should be implemented at socio economic factors to increase the tendency for getting the influenza vaccine.