A-One Health Approach on the Evaluation of COVID-19 Risk Perception and Factors Associated with the COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance in Nigeria, West Africa (original) (raw)

2022, Research Square (Research Square)

Background Effective elimination of the COVID-19 pandemic is dependent on the COVID-19 vaccines that are readily available and acceptable to the public. This study evaluated the COVID-19 risk perception and factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in Nigeria. Methods A cross-sectional online survey with a structured questionnaire employing a Snowball sampling method was administered among Nigerian adults from the beginning of COVID-19 mass vaccination in March 2021 till December 2021. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square and multivariable regression. Participants' general knowledge regarding COVID-19, willingness to accept COVID-19 vaccines, perception of seriousness, susceptibility of COVID-19 were assessed. Results From the 402 responses received, the mean age of the respondents was 35.1 ± 11.9 years, with the majority being males (288 (71.6%)) and non-health workers (349 (86.8%)). Overall, COVID-19 knowledge was good, with a mean score of 6.2 ± 0.19 (range 0-8) and a COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate of 65.67%. We found a consistent positive relationship between respondents' COVID-19 knowledge and their willingness to accept COVID-19 vaccines. Respondents who believed that the 5G network is not the cause of COVID-19 were two times more likely to receive the COVID-19 vaccine (aOR 2.38; 95%CI 1.05-5.36; p = 0.04). Furthermore, our comparisons of respondents' age groups and marital status revealed higher odds of being willing to accept COVID-19 vaccines among respondents who were age 50 ≥ years old (aOR 7.35; 95% CI: 1.69-31.93; p = 0.008) and those who were singles (aOR 4.39; 95% CI: 1.86-10.33; p = 0.001), respectively. However, non-healthcare workers with high income and educational status were unwilling to accept COVID-19 vaccines. Surprisingly, although 303 (75.4%) of the respondents believed COVID-19 is a severe disease, only 119 (45.1%) are con dent of contracting the COVID-19 should they fail to adhere to infection prevention and control (IPC) measures. Conclusion the study revealed that the intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine varied across demographic characteristics, level of education, income and employment status, and perceived severity and susceptibility to COVID-19. We recommend continuous public health education on the risk of COVID-19 and the vital role vaccine will play in ending this pandemic. Background 2.2. Ethical permit and consent note The research ethics committee of the Borno State Hospital Services, Ministry of Health, Maiduguri, Nigeria, approved our study protocol (MHSEC/03/2020/00022). The submission of the online answer to the questionnaire was considered as consent to take part in the study. A consent note was not required. 2.3. The Measures The survey instrument used in this study was based on the tool designed by Municipal Public Health Service Rotterdam-Rijnmond (GGD) together with the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) in the Netherlands [12] with minimal modi cation. Previous studies consulted included [14], course material regarding coronavirus disease outbreaks, including the current COVID-19 pandemic by WHO [15], and guidelines issued by Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) [16]. The questionnaire consisted of four (4) parts: Part one (1). Demographic characteristics of respondents. Participants were asked to report their age, sex, state of residence, occupation, educational level, marital status, household size, income category, and employment status. Part two (2). Knowledge of respondents on COVID-19. This category included eight questions on the cause of COVID-19, transmission, prevention and control, myths, and symptoms. The knowledge questions consisted of dichotomous questions (correct, incorrect