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. 2023 Nov 28;15(11):e49576.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.49576. eCollection 2023 Nov.

Unpacking COVID-19 Vaccine Attitudes: Exploring Hesitancy and Acceptance Among Undergraduate Students in Bangladesh

Abhishek Bhadra  1 , Vivek Podder  2 , Md Mynul Islam  3 , Smriti Devnath  4 , Imtiaz Hafiz  5 , Kishwar Jahan Chowdhury  6 , Hasnat Sujon  7   8 , Md Rakibul Islam  1 , Fahim Mohammed Ali  9 , Thomas Ikechukwu Odo  8 , Mahbuba Sudrul  10 , Sabyasachi Roy  11 , Anindita Dey  12 , Farzana Hossain  10 , Sanjay Kirshan Kumar  13 , Abhishek Agarwala  14 , Nadira Sultana Kakoly  10
Affiliations

Unpacking COVID-19 Vaccine Attitudes: Exploring Hesitancy and Acceptance Among Undergraduate Students in Bangladesh

Abhishek Bhadra et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Background: Vaccine hesitancy is a significant global health concern, and mass vaccination is essential in preventing the spread of COVID-19. Undergraduate students need to be prioritized for vaccination as they continue their academic curriculum physically. However, limited research explores vaccine hesitancy and acceptance among undergraduate students in Bangladesh. Therefore, this study evaluated vaccine hesitancy and acceptance among this population.

Method: A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted between May and June 2021 using a structured questionnaire to assess COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and acceptance among undergraduate students in Bangladesh. The Oxford Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Scale was used to measure vaccine hesitancy. The study used convenient sampling.

Result: Across the country, 334 undergraduate students participated in this study on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, with a mean age of 22.4 years. Most participants were male and unmarried, most having spent four years at university. 89.52% of participants would accept a COVID-19 vaccine if it were suggested by educational institutions or available, while 4.49% refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Participants showed low levels of vaccine hesitancy, with a mean score of 10.77 on the Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Scale. Most participants had a positive attitude towards receiving the vaccine, with the majority wanting to get it as soon as it becomes available. No association was found between vaccine acceptance and participants' background characteristics.

Conclusion: Our study found a high level of vaccine acceptance among undergraduate students in Bangladesh, indicating that this group can be vaccinated quickly, significantly accelerating vaccination goals. However, further large-scale studies are recommended among vulnerable groups, including school and college students, to ensure vaccine preparedness.

Keywords: covid 19; covid-19 vaccine; student education; vaccine hesitancy; vaccine science and policy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Flow chart showing the sampling technique
Figure 2
Figure 2. Demographic distribution (division-wise distribution) of the study participants in Bangladesh
Figure 3
Figure 3. The acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine among the participants
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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