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

Abhishek Bhadra; Vivek Podder; Md Mynul Islam; Smriti Devnath; Imtiaz Hafiz; Kishwar Jahan Chowdhury; Hasnat Sujon; Md Rakibul Islam; Fahim Mohammed Ali; Thomas Ikechukwu Odo; Mahbuba Sudrul; Sabyasachi Roy; Anindita Dey; Farzana Hossain; Sanjay Kirshan Kumar; Abhishek Agarwala; Nadira Sultana Kakoly

doi:10.7759/cureus.49576

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

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

Authors

Abhishek Bhadra¹, Vivek Podder², Md Mynul Islam³, Smriti Devnath⁴, Imtiaz Hafiz⁵, Kishwar Jahan Chowdhury⁶, Hasnat Sujon^{7

8}, Md Rakibul Islam¹, Fahim Mohammed Ali⁹, Thomas Ikechukwu Odo⁸, Mahbuba Sudrul¹⁰, Sabyasachi Roy¹¹, Anindita Dey¹², Farzana Hossain¹⁰, Sanjay Kirshan Kumar¹³, Abhishek Agarwala¹⁴, Nadira Sultana Kakoly¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Pharmacology, Popular Medical College Hospital, Dhaka, BGD.
² Medical Oncology, Miami Cancer Institute, Miami, USA.
³ Applied Statistics and Data Science, Institute of Statistical Research and Training, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, BGD.
⁴ Physiology, Popular Medical College Hospital, Dhaka, BGD.
⁵ Public Health, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, FIN.
⁶ Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, University of Chittagong, Chittagong, BGD.
⁷ Infectious Disease, Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Dhaka, BGD.
⁸ Infectious Disease, Infectious Diseases and One Health Program, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, DEU.
⁹ Trauma and Orthopaedics, Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, Ashton-under-Lyne, GBR.
¹⁰ Public Health, North South University, Dhaka, BGD.
¹¹ Diabetes and Endocrinology, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, GBR.
¹² Internal Medicine, Frimley Park Hospital, Frimley, GBR.
¹³ Gastroenterology, Bahria University of Health Sciences, Karachi, PAK.
¹⁴ Computer Science and Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka, BGD.

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.