. Amir Abushouk; . Mohamed Eldigire Ahmed; . Zaher Althagaf; . Abdulrhman Almehmadi; . Samer Alasmari; . Fares Alenezi; . Muhannad Fallata; . Rayan Alshamrani
Volume 13, Issue 1 , January 2023, , Pages 1-7
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Annual influenza vaccine is recommended among health professionals especially,health science undergraduates; although, studies suggest that there is a low level of vaccine ...
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BACKGROUND: Annual influenza vaccine is recommended among health professionals especially,health science undergraduates; although, studies suggest that there is a low level of vaccine coverageamong health care undergraduates. Thus, the study aimed to investigate students’ knowledge,attitudes, and practices regarding the seasonal influenza vaccine at King Saud bin Abdulaziz Universityfor Health Sciences (KSAU‑HS) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.METHODS: A cross‑sectional, unicentral study was carried out during the period of April to November2021. A total of 341 validated questionnaires that included four sections were distributed in all fourdifferent colleges of KSAU‑HS. Data management and analyses were carried out using StatisticalSoftware for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.RESULTS: Out of 341 respondents, 336 participants completed the full survey (98.53% completionrate). The majority of participants were males (67.6% and the most participants were from the collegeof medicine (60.4%). The mean knowledge score of students was found to be (11.3 ± 2.0) out of 14points. The most common barrier to vaccination among healthcare students was not having enoughtime to take the vaccine (23.8%), while the second one was the COVID‑19 pandemic (22.32%). Thevaccination rate in 2020 was 103 (30.7%), while 235 (80.4%) students stated that they have receivedthe vaccine previously. School/work requirements and the student’s awareness of the vaccine’simportance were the most common reasons for taking the influenza vaccine.CONCLUSION: Even though students showed a high level of knowledge and a positive attitudetowards the influenza vaccine, they generally had a low level of vaccine uptake. To enhanceimmunization rates, we encourage vaccine campaigns in all healthcare colleges. Further studies areneeded to identify influences on students’ attitudes and practices regarding influenza vaccination.
