Infection and Drug Resistance (May 2021)
Knowledge About COVID-19, Beliefs and Vaccination Acceptance Against COVID-19 Among High-Risk People in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Abstract
Giao Huynh,1 Tap Van Nguyen,2 Dung Dang Nguyen,1 Quang Minh Lam,1 Tuan Nhat Pham,1 Han Thi Ngoc Nguyen3 1Faculty of Public Health, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; 2Faculty of Medicine, Tra Vinh University, Tra Vinh City, Tra Vinh Province, Vietnam; 3Infection Control Department, University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, VietnamCorrespondence: Tap Van NguyenTra Vinh University, 126 Nguyen Thien Thanh Street, Tra Vinh City, Tra Vinh Province, VietnamTel +84914064340Email [email protected] HuynhUniversity of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, 217 Hong Bang Street, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, VietnamTel +84908608338Email [email protected]: Vaccination is one of the best ways to control a pandemic such as COVID-19. However, identifying community apprehensions towards vaccination needs to be understood in detail. This study aims to determine the factors that can predict the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine.Methods: A cross-sectional study was considered by systematic random sampling of 425 adults with chronic illnesses in Ho Chi Minh City. Data were collected between December 2020 and January 2021 via a self-administered, structured questionnaire. The main outcome was the acceptance of future COVID-19 vaccinations.Results: A total of 425 eligible adults responded to the survey, whose mean age was 52.9± 15.6 years; 67.8% of them were women, more than a half of them had high school education level or higher (57.4%) and received COVID-19 information mainly via television and social media accounted for 82.4% and 58.1%, respectively. Overall, knowledge of COVID-19 was reported as relatively good, with a mean score of 7.11 ± 1.77 (0– 9). Determinants of vaccination acceptance were knowledge and cues to action. Accordingly, there was a 1.2-fold increase in the odds of acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination for a 1-unit increase in “the total knowledge score” (AOR 1.2, 95% CI: 1.1– 1.3, p< 0.05), and there was a 3.2-fold increase in the odds of vaccination acceptance for a 1-unit increase in “cues to action” (AOR 3.2, 95% CI: 1.7– 5.8, p< 0.001).Conclusion: Determinants that influence the intention to have the COVID-19 vaccination are identified, which can be applied to future health education interventions that should focus on enhanced knowledge towards COVID-19 via mass media messages and cues to action from healthcare workers’ recommendations to promote vaccine acceptance.Keywords: beliefs, COVID-19, health belief model, knowledge, vaccination
