Assessment of the Knowledge and Opinions of Undergraduate Health Care Students Concerning Influenza Vaccination in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Ziyad F Al Nufaiei,1,2 Abdulghani Alshenkiti,1,2 Faris N Sallam,1,2 Nizar Suhail Badraig,1,2 Raid M Al Zhranei,1,2 Khalid M Alshamrani,1,2 Naif Sannan,1,2 Maher Alsulami,1,2 Majid S Al-Thaqafy,2– 4 Emad Abdelrahman5 1College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 2King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 3Infection Prevention and Control Department, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 4College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 5General Medicine, Albayt Medical General Center, Mecca, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Ziyad F Al Nufaiei, College of Applied Medical Sciences-Jeddah, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Mail Code 6610, PO Box. 9515, Jeddah, 21423, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Tel [phone], Email [email protected]: Influenza remains a significant global public health challenge, causing substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite the availability of influenza vaccines, challenges related to vaccine hesitancy and healthcare professionals’ attitudes persist. Furthermore, there is a need to understand the knowledge and opinions of undergraduate healthcare students regarding influenza vaccinations. Therefore, we aimed to assess and compare the knowledge and opinions of undergraduate healthcare students about influenza vaccinations, addressing the existing knowledge gap in this area.Methods: We employed a cross-sectional study design to assess the opinions and knowledge of undergraduate healthcare students in Saudi Arabia regarding influenza vaccination. A total of 137 healthcare programs were invited to participate via filled-out the survey online. Data analysis was performed using SPSS, with descriptive statistics for the demographic profile and Chi-Square and independent t-tests for examining associations and differences in opinions and knowledge, respectively.Results: A total of 429 undergraduate students completed the survey and were included. Significant associations were found between the students’ major and their beliefs regarding the effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing influenza (p=0.017) and the inclusion of influenza vaccines in medical practice (p=0.016). The majority of students agreed with seven out of nine knowledge statements, with agreement percentages ranging from 42.9% to 44.8%. When comparing knowledge scores, students majoring in medicine had a significantly higher mean knowledge score (3.91) compared to students studying other medical sciences (3.72) (p=0.019).Conclusion and Recommendations: Our study suggests that a comprehensive approach involving education, awareness initiatives, and policy changes is needed to enhance knowledge about influenza vaccination among Saudi Arabian undergraduate students in Medical School allied medical sciences and medical degree programs. By implementing these strategies, we can promote a positive attitude towards flu vaccination and ultimately increase its uptake.Keywords: influenza vaccination, allied health students, medical students, immunization, knowledge, healthcare professionals

Keywords

• influenza vaccination
• allied health students
• medical students
• immunization
• knowledge
• healthcare professionals