Determinants of COVID Vaccination Willingness among Health and Non-Health Studies Students: A Cross-Sectional Study
Students, as a relatively health-informed population group, may still have limitations in health literacy, which is a concern as students take increasing responsibility for their health and make independent health decisions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the overall attitudes towards COVID v...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Vaccines |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/11/5/981 |
| _version_ | 1797598137441845248 |
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| author | Mario Marendić Diana Aranza Ivan Aranza Dario Vrdoljak Mario Podrug Mirjana Milić |
| author_facet | Mario Marendić Diana Aranza Ivan Aranza Dario Vrdoljak Mario Podrug Mirjana Milić |
| author_sort | Mario Marendić |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Students, as a relatively health-informed population group, may still have limitations in health literacy, which is a concern as students take increasing responsibility for their health and make independent health decisions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the overall attitudes towards COVID vaccination among university students and to investigate various factors contributing to vaccination willingness among health and non-health studies students. A total of 752 students from the University of Split were included in this cross-sectional study and completed a questionnaire that consisted of three sections: socio-demographic data, health status information, and information on vaccination against COVID-19. Results show that the majority of students of health and natural sciences were willing to be vaccinated, but the majority of students of social sciences were not (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Students who used credible sources of information had a more significant proportion of those willing to be vaccinated and the majority of students who used less credible sources (79%) or did not think about it (68.8%) were unwilling to be vaccinated (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Multiple binary logistic regression modeling shows that female gender, younger age, studying social sciences, negative opinion about the need to reintroduce lockdown and the effectiveness of epidemiological measures, and usage of less credible sources of information were the most important factors contributing to increased vaccination hesitancy. Therefore, improving health literacy and restoring trust in relevant institutions can be critical in health promotion and COVID-19 prevention. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:15:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1273b5793b1d434395d431937e6b4a4b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-393X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:15:06Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Vaccines |
| spelling | doaj.art-1273b5793b1d434395d431937e6b4a4b2023-11-18T03:36:38ZengMDPI AGVaccines2076-393X2023-05-0111598110.3390/vaccines11050981Determinants of COVID Vaccination Willingness among Health and Non-Health Studies Students: A Cross-Sectional StudyMario Marendić0Diana Aranza1Ivan Aranza2Dario Vrdoljak3Mario Podrug4Mirjana Milić5University Department of Health Studies, University of Split, 21000 Split, CroatiaUniversity Department of Health Studies, University of Split, 21000 Split, CroatiaUniversity of Split School of Medicine, 21000 Split, CroatiaFaculty of Kinesiology, University of Split, 21000 Split, CroatiaUniversity Department of Health Studies, University of Split, 21000 Split, CroatiaFaculty of Kinesiology, University of Split, 21000 Split, CroatiaStudents, as a relatively health-informed population group, may still have limitations in health literacy, which is a concern as students take increasing responsibility for their health and make independent health decisions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the overall attitudes towards COVID vaccination among university students and to investigate various factors contributing to vaccination willingness among health and non-health studies students. A total of 752 students from the University of Split were included in this cross-sectional study and completed a questionnaire that consisted of three sections: socio-demographic data, health status information, and information on vaccination against COVID-19. Results show that the majority of students of health and natural sciences were willing to be vaccinated, but the majority of students of social sciences were not (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Students who used credible sources of information had a more significant proportion of those willing to be vaccinated and the majority of students who used less credible sources (79%) or did not think about it (68.8%) were unwilling to be vaccinated (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Multiple binary logistic regression modeling shows that female gender, younger age, studying social sciences, negative opinion about the need to reintroduce lockdown and the effectiveness of epidemiological measures, and usage of less credible sources of information were the most important factors contributing to increased vaccination hesitancy. Therefore, improving health literacy and restoring trust in relevant institutions can be critical in health promotion and COVID-19 prevention.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/11/5/981COVID-19critical thinkinghealth informationhealth literacySARS-CoV-2students |
| spellingShingle | Mario Marendić Diana Aranza Ivan Aranza Dario Vrdoljak Mario Podrug Mirjana Milić Determinants of COVID Vaccination Willingness among Health and Non-Health Studies Students: A Cross-Sectional Study Vaccines COVID-19 critical thinking health information health literacy SARS-CoV-2 students |
| title | Determinants of COVID Vaccination Willingness among Health and Non-Health Studies Students: A Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_full | Determinants of COVID Vaccination Willingness among Health and Non-Health Studies Students: A Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_fullStr | Determinants of COVID Vaccination Willingness among Health and Non-Health Studies Students: A Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Determinants of COVID Vaccination Willingness among Health and Non-Health Studies Students: A Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_short | Determinants of COVID Vaccination Willingness among Health and Non-Health Studies Students: A Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_sort | determinants of covid vaccination willingness among health and non health studies students a cross sectional study |
| topic | COVID-19 critical thinking health information health literacy SARS-CoV-2 students |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/11/5/981 |
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