PERCEPTION AND WILLINGNESS TO THE UPTAKE OF COVID-19 VACCINE AMONG HOUSEHOLD-HEADS IN A RURAL COMMUNITY OF SOUTH-WESTERN NIGERIA

Adewoye Kayode Rasaq; Olalubi Oluwasogo A; Aremu Shuaib Kayode; Alao Taiye Adeyanju; Ekpo David Sylvanus; Ipinnimo Tope Michael; Adeniyi Makinde Adebayo; Ibrahim Azeez Oyemomi; Sanni Taofeek Adedayo; Achebe Chijioke Cosmas; Bakare Adewumi; Orewole Tesleem Olayinka; Abioye Opeyemi Oladipupo

doi:10.21010/Ajidv17i2.1

PERCEPTION AND WILLINGNESS TO THE UPTAKE OF COVID-19 VACCINE AMONG HOUSEHOLD-HEADS IN A RURAL COMMUNITY OF SOUTH-WESTERN NIGERIA

Afr J Infect Dis. 2023 Mar 29;17(2):1-8. doi: 10.21010/Ajidv17i2.1. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Community Medicine, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.
² Department of Community Medicine, Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.
³ Department of Public Health, Kwara State University, Molete, Kwara State, Nigeria.
⁴ Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.
⁵ Department of Community Medicine and Primary Health-Care, Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria.
⁶ Department of Family Medicine, Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.
⁷ Department of Radiology, Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.
⁸ Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.
⁹ Department of Anaesthesia, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti / Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and its vaccine have been met with varying perceptions that may have both negative and positive effects on the willingness to uptake the COVID-19 vaccine. The study is set to determine the perception and willingness of the household heads to the uptake of COVID-19 vaccine in a rural community in Southwestern, Nigeria.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 409 household heads selected through a multistage sampling technique. The instrument of data collection was a semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire using the Health Belief model constructs. Data were analyzed with IBM SPSS version 21.0 and Pearson's Chi-square test was used to determine the association between perception and willingness to uptake vaccine. P<0.05 was taken as significant at 95% confidence interval.

Results: The majority of the unvaccinated respondents in the study were not willing to take the COVID-19 vaccine (60.1%). There was a poor perception of the susceptibility/severity of unvaccinated respondents to COVID-19 infection and a poor perception of the benefit/barrier to the uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine. Perception of susceptibility and severity of COVID-19 infection were statistically related to the willingness to uptake the COVID-19 vaccine.

Conclusion: There should be an increase in awareness campaigns to change the perception of people positively to COVID-19 infection and uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Keywords: COVID-19 vaccine; Household heads; Nigeria; Perception; Uptake; Willingness.