1
|
Bhadra A, Podder V, Islam MM, Devnath S, Hafiz I, Chowdhury KJ, Sujon H, Islam MR, Ali FM, Odo TI, Sudrul M, Roy S, Dey A, Hossain F, Kirshan Kumar S, Agarwala A, Kakoly NS. Unpacking COVID-19 Vaccine Attitudes: Exploring Hesitancy and Acceptance Among Undergraduate Students in Bangladesh. Cureus 2023; 15:e49576. [PMID: 38156187 PMCID: PMC10754296 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.49576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vaccine hesitancy is a significant global health concern, and mass vaccination is essential in preventing the spread of COVID-19. Undergraduate students need to be prioritized for vaccination as they continue their academic curriculum physically. However, limited research explores vaccine hesitancy and acceptance among undergraduate students in Bangladesh. Therefore, this study evaluated vaccine hesitancy and acceptance among this population. METHOD A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted between May and June 2021 using a structured questionnaire to assess COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and acceptance among undergraduate students in Bangladesh. The Oxford Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Scale was used to measure vaccine hesitancy. The study used convenient sampling. RESULT Across the country, 334 undergraduate students participated in this study on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, with a mean age of 22.4 years. Most participants were male and unmarried, most having spent four years at university. 89.52% of participants would accept a COVID-19 vaccine if it were suggested by educational institutions or available, while 4.49% refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Participants showed low levels of vaccine hesitancy, with a mean score of 10.77 on the Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Scale. Most participants had a positive attitude towards receiving the vaccine, with the majority wanting to get it as soon as it becomes available. No association was found between vaccine acceptance and participants' background characteristics. CONCLUSION Our study found a high level of vaccine acceptance among undergraduate students in Bangladesh, indicating that this group can be vaccinated quickly, significantly accelerating vaccination goals. However, further large-scale studies are recommended among vulnerable groups, including school and college students, to ensure vaccine preparedness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Vivek Podder
- Medical Oncology, Miami Cancer Institute, Miami, USA
| | - Md Mynul Islam
- Applied Statistics and Data Science, Institute of Statistical Research and Training, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, BGD
| | - Smriti Devnath
- Physiology, Popular Medical College Hospital, Dhaka, BGD
| | - Imtiaz Hafiz
- Public Health, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, FIN
| | | | - Hasnat Sujon
- Infectious Disease, Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Dhaka, BGD
- Infectious Disease, Infectious Diseases and One Health Program, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, DEU
| | | | - Fahim Mohammed Ali
- Trauma and Orthopaedics, Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, Ashton-under-Lyne, GBR
| | - Thomas Ikechukwu Odo
- Infectious Disease, Infectious Diseases and One Health Program, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, DEU
| | | | - Sabyasachi Roy
- Diabetes and Endocrinology, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, GBR
| | - Anindita Dey
- Internal Medicine, Frimley Park Hospital, Frimley, GBR
| | | | | | - Abhishek Agarwala
- Computer Science and Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka, BGD
| | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Abstract
Folliculo-stellate cells (FS-cells) are star-shaped and follicle-forming cells in the anterior pituitary gland that were first identified by electron microscopy as non-endocrine agranular cells. Light microscopy has revealed many of their cytophysiological features and the FS-cell is known to be positive for S-100 protein, a marker for FS-cells. So far, functions ascribed to FS-cells include the formation of an extensive and complex tridimentional network, scavenger activity by engulfing degenerated cells, paracrine regulation of endocrine cells by producing various growth factors and cytokines, such as interleukin-6, leukemia inhibitory factor, basic fibroblastic growth factor, vascular endothelial cell growth factor and follistatin, and large-scale inter-cellular communication by means of their long cytoplasmic processes and gap junctions. Moreover, their multi-potential characteristics and other cytological features support the possibility of them becoming organ-specific stem cells. This concept is yet to be resolved, however. In this review, we focus on these features of FS-cells along with some futuristic approaches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S Devnath
- Department of Regulation Biology, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama, Japan
| | | |
Collapse
|