COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Prevalence and Predictors among the Students of Jazan University, Saudi Arabia Using the Health Belief Model: A Cross-Sectional Study
Husameldin Elsawi Khalafalla,
Maria Zenaida Tumambeng,
Majidah Hussain Asiri Halawi,
Enas Mohammed Ali Masmali,
Thekra Badr Mohammed Tashari,
Fatimah Hasser Abdullah Arishi,
Roaa Hassan Mohammed Shadad,
Sarah Zaki Abdullah Alfaraj,
Shroog Mohammed Ali Fathi,
Mohamed Salih Mahfouz
Affiliations
Husameldin Elsawi Khalafalla
Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Maria Zenaida Tumambeng
Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Majidah Hussain Asiri Halawi
Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Enas Mohammed Ali Masmali
Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Thekra Badr Mohammed Tashari
Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Fatimah Hasser Abdullah Arishi
Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Roaa Hassan Mohammed Shadad
Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Sarah Zaki Abdullah Alfaraj
Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Shroog Mohammed Ali Fathi
Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Mohamed Salih Mahfouz
Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Vaccination has a major role in the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. The behavior toward accepting the COVID-19 vaccine is complex and multifactorial, while the level of acceptance and hesitancy depends on many factors. This study aims to measure the level of vaccine acceptance among Jazan University students and identify its predictors. In this cross-sectional study, an online questionnaire based on the health belief model (HBM) was sent through social media “WhatsApp” to two strata of students selected by convenient sampling. The overall desire to get vaccinated was noted in 83.6% of participants, and 16.4% reported no desire to be vaccinated. The constructs of the HBM were shown to significantly predict vaccine acceptance with the exception of “perceived susceptibility”. In conclusion, the level of acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine among Jazan University students was relatively high. The HBM constructs are important predictors of the vaccination behavior with the exception of the construct “perceived susceptibility”.
