College students' COVID-19 vaccine beliefs and intentions: Implications for interventions

Exploring predictors of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among students, faculty, and staff at a Southeastern University in the United States

OBJECTIVE

Explore predictors of early COVID-19 vaccine adoption on a university campus.

PARTICIPANTS

Students, faculty, staff, and administration (N = 1,234) completed an online survey exploring COVID-19 vaccine-related experiences, perspectives, and knowledge, from September to October 2021.

METHODS

Based on vaccination status participants were identified as vaccine hesitant or early vaccine adopters. Binary logistic regression was used to examine association between independent variables and vaccine adoption status.

RESULTS

Democrats (OR = 4.3, p = <.001), participants without a positive COVID-19 test (OR = 2.5, p = <.001), noted seeing/hearing COVID-19 misinformation (OR = 1.8, p = 0.27), and reported trust in public health agencies (OR = 26.2, p = <.001) were more likely to be early COVID-19 vaccine adopters, compared to Republicans, those with a positive COVID-19 test, those who had not seen/heard COVID-19 misinformation, and those reporting distrust in public health agencies, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Findings indicate that COVID-19 vaccine adoption is multifactorial. Future research should focus on vaccination status-related trust and health communication.

Undergraduate Vaccine Hesitancy and the Influence of "Home" Locales

PURPOSE

In the US, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed deeply rooted resistance to public health. This has important consequences for SARS-CoV-2 variant spread and for future uptake of influenza and other vaccines. We examine these phenomena in Missouri, where its low vaccination rates, high levels of uninsured residents, predominance of conservative values, and stark rural-urban divides are intricately connected to public health resistance. The Socio-Ecological model guides our approach.

METHODS

We use data from the Fall 2020 Midwestern University (MWU-a pseudonym) Study of Seropositivity and Risk for SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 which are harmonized with the American Community Survey, Missouri County-Level Study, and the USDA Rural-Urban Continuum Codes to estimate multi-level regression models on the relationship between undergraduate students' "home" locales and their own COVID-19 and influenza vaccine hesitancy.

FINDINGS

The availability of primary care physicians, the prevalence of influenza vaccinations, and location type at the county level, as well as the percentage of residents without health insurance at the zip code level differentially predict COVID-19 and influenza vaccine hesitancy.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a link between county-level health and geographic characteristics, and individuals'-who were influenced by those counties because that is where their parents live-hesitancy towards vaccines. Identifying feasible, precise, local solutions to reducing vaccine hesitancy could take place if community members and other stakeholders would be open to changes in local-level health policy or practice.

Perception and Coverage of Conventional Vaccination among University Students from Rouen (Normandy), France in 2021

The aim of this study was to assess vaccination perception and the prevalence of the overall vaccination coverage (VC) and associated factors among university students. An online study was conducted among students of a university in Rouen (Normandy), France, in January 2021, with questions about the VC and perception of the vaccines. The convenience sample included 3089 students (response rate of 10.3%), with a mean age of 20.3 (SD = 1.9). The overall VC was 27.8% (39.2% for the healthcare students (HCS) and 21.3% for the non-HCS; p < 0.0001). Confidence (efficacy and security) was lower than the conviction of usefulness. The characteristics associated with VC were having the intention to be vaccinated against COVID-19, high perceptions of usefulness for their own health, having confidence in the vaccines’ efficacy and security, and a high estimated level of knowledge about vaccination. Education about the general interest and mechanism of action of vaccines could improve the perception of vaccines. Then, it is relevant to improve vaccination literacy and confidence in university students, who, as future adults and parents, will vaccinate themselves and their children; as well as healthcare students who are future healthcare workers and, therefore, will vaccinate and counsel their patients.