Psychological impact of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on health professions students at the University of Zambia: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has negatively impacted the mental health of students across the globe. In Zambia, little is known about the psychological impacts of COVID-19 on healthcare students. This study assessed the psychological impact of COVID-19 on health professions students at the University of Zambia. Methods: this cross-sectional study was conducted from August 2021 to October 2021. Anxiety and depression were measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The multivariable logistic regression model was used to identify the factors associated with anxiety and depression among the participants. Data were analysed using Stata 16.1. Results: of the 452 students, 57.5% were female, with the majority aged between 19 and 24 years. Overall, 65% (95% CI: 60.5-69.4) experienced anxiety, while 86% (95% CI: 82.7-89.3) experienced depression. Participants whose income was affected were more likely to experience anxiety (aOR; 2.09, 95% CI: 1.29-3.37) and depression (aOR; 2.87, 95% CI: 1.53-5.38). Anxiety was associated with difficulty in observing the COVID-19 preventive measures (aOR; 1.84, 95% CI: 1.21-2.81). Being depressed was associated with having a chronic condition (aOR; 3.98, 95% CI: 1.67-9.50) or a relative or friend who died from COVID-19 (aOR: 1.98, 95% CI: 1.06-3.70). Conclusion: many students experienced anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 third wave of infections. This calls for mitigation measures because continued anxiety and depression can affect the academic performance of students. Fortunately, most of the associated factors are modifiable and can easily be targeted when formulating interventions to reduce anxiety and depression among students.

Prevalence and factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in Zambia: a web-based cross-sectional study.

Introduction: vaccinations against COVID-19 have been instituted to contain the pandemic. However, information about the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines in Zambia is lacking. Therefore, the study assessed the prevalence and factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among the general population in Zambia. Methods: this was an online questionnaire-based cross-sectional study conducted from 13th April to 21st May 2021. We included adult Zambians who had access to Facebook and WhatsApp. A multivariable logistic regression model was fitted to determine factors influencing vaccine acceptability. Data were analysed using Stata version 16.1. Results: of the 677 participants, only 33.4% (n = 226) would accept the vaccine if made available to them. In multivariable regression analysis, respondents who were older than 41 years compared to the 18 to 23 years age group (aOR: 2.77, 95% CI: 1.03-7.48), those who agreed (aOR; 22.85, 95% CI: 11.49-45.49) or did not know (aOR; 3.73, 95% CI: 2.29-6.07) compared to those who disagreed that the COVID-19 vaccine passed through all the necessary stages to ensure its safety and effectiveness, and those who were aware (aOR; 11.13, 95% CI: 5.31-23.35) compared to those who were not aware that the COVID-19 vaccine reduces virus transmission, were more likely to accept the vaccine. Conversely, entrepreneurs compared to government employees (aOR; 0.24, 95% CI: 0.07-0.79) were less likely to accept vaccination. Conclusion: awareness of the COVID-19 vaccine was high despite low acceptability levels. These findings are significant as they highlight the need to develop strategies for improving vaccine acceptability in Zambia.