Factors associated with intention to take COVID-19 vaccine among the university students in Bangladesh

Purpose: This study examined the Bangladeshi university students' intention to take coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines by assessing the Health Belief Model and Theory of Planned Behavior.

Materials and methods: University students were queried on their intention to take COVID-19 vaccines. The sample used in this study (n=310) was obtained through an online survey among university students (age, 18-25 years old) from August 7 to September 18, 2021.

Results: Although over 90% of respondents showed their willingness to take the COVID-19 vaccine, around 37.3% of respondents still desired to wait and see to take the vaccine. The most frequently cited reasons for vaccines hesitancy were concerns over side effects (62.4%). There is still an unmet need for adequate information on COVID-19 vaccines (81.4%). Results of the binary logistic regression model showed that students from private universities (odds ratio [OR], 0.19; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.04-0.97), respondents who concerned about the vaccine safety (OR, 0.07; 95% CI, 0.01-0.44) and side effects of vaccine (OR, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.05-0.89) were less willing to take COVID-19 vaccine. On the other hand, desire to wait to take COVID-19 vaccines was associated with marital status (OR, 7.76; 95% CI, 1.50-40.27); COVID-19 preventive behavior, including use of facemask (OR, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.09-0.70) and maintain social distance (OR,1.75; 95% CI, 1.00-3.07); COVID-19 infection (OR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.26-0.99); provide more information on vaccines (OR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.06-5.09); the perceived side effects (OR, 2.82; 95% CI, 1.54-5.17); and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines (OR, 2.41; 95% CI, 1.16-5.01).

Conclusion: Public health managers should provide adequate information on COVID-19 vaccines to address the concerns about the safety and side effects of the vaccines.