ABSTRACT
Vaccination against COVID-19 is a highly debated subject that brings confusion due to contradictory information coming from the scientific community and the media. Our aim was to focus on a homogeneous group of students in the healthcare field to assess their intention to vaccinate and the drivers behind this decision. A cross-sectional study was performed in the spring of 2021 in a Medical University in Romania. 725 of the undergraduates that completed an online questionnaire regarding their intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 were included in the study. Univariable analysis and logistic regression were performed on several variables to analyze factors affecting the willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19. In our study sample, 93.1% of students presented a strong intention to vaccinate, out of which the highest proportion belonged to subjects studying general medicine (96%). On logistic regression, we identified the following predictor factors: previous infection with coronavirus, prior vaccination refusal, VAX score, scientifically oriented sources of information and preference for RNA-based technology. Medical students have an increased willingness towards vaccination. Even for them, a highly educated and informed group of subjects, the general attitude towards vaccinations has a strong impact on the choice of COVID-19 vaccination.
Subject(s)
AIDS Vaccines , COVID-19 , Haemophilus Vaccines , Influenza Vaccines , Papillomavirus Vaccines , Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccines , SAIDS Vaccines , Students, Medical , Typhoid-Paratyphoid Vaccines , BCG Vaccine , COVID-19/prevention & control , COVID-19 Vaccines/therapeutic use , Cross-Sectional Studies , Diphtheria-Tetanus Vaccine , Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Vaccine , Hepatitis A Vaccines , Hepatitis B Vaccines , Humans , Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine , RNA , Romania , Vaccines, Inactivated , Vaccines, SyntheticABSTRACT
Understanding COVID-19 vaccination attitudes is of paramount importance in order to estimate and influence the willingness to vaccinate. A cross-sectional study was performed in the spring of 2021 in Romania by sending a web-based questionnaire to patients with rheumatic autoimmune diseases in order to assess their willingness to vaccinate against SARS CoV-2 and to identify factors that might influence their decision. Variables derived from the questionnaire were analyzed in univariable and multivariable analysis. 71 patients, of which 60 (84.5%) women, were included in the study, with a 53.5% (38 subjects) willingness to vaccinate. A positive association was observed between the willingness to vaccinate and the patients' trust in authorities, trust in the healthcare system and the choice of scientific sources of information in their decision making. A positive correlation was observed between the intention to vaccinate and the global VAX score, as well as the subscale VAX scores (p<0.05). Global VAX score emerged as a predictive factor for the intention to vaccinate on logistic regression (p<0.05). The present study underlines the importance of reliable scientific sources of information for pa-tients with autoimmune diseases and how the general attitude about vaccination becomes a pre-dictive factor for accepting COVID-19 vaccine.