At the end of 2020, the Italian Ministry of Health launched a national vaccination campaign to counteract the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study aimed at appraising levels of knowledge about and acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination in a sample of Italian undergraduates during the first phase of the immunization plan. A web-based questionnaire was administered to students attending universities in Bari, Naples, and Rome during the period February–April 2021. Of the total of 3226 participants, 91.9% were keen to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. More than 80% gave correct answers to questions about COVID-19 vaccine administration, functioning, and effects on community health. However, only 63.8% identified the correct composition of the available vaccines. Knowledge was found to be related to sociodemographic features and COVID-19 vaccination acceptance (p < 0.05). COVID-19 vaccination acceptance was found to be related to having a previous vaccination against influenza (OR 3.806, CI 95% 1.181–12.267; p = 0.025) and knowledge (OR 4.759, CI 95% 2.106– 10.753; p = 0.000). These results show a good level of awareness about COVID-19 vaccination in this population, which may indicate the effectiveness of communication strategies accompanying the COVID-19 immunization campaign in Italy.

Knowledge and Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccination among Undergraduate Students from Central and Southern Italy / Gallè, Francesca; Sabella, Elita Anna; Roma, Paolo; De Giglio, Osvalda; Caggiano, Giuseppina; Tafuri, Silvio; Da Molin, Giovanna; Ferracuti, Stefano; Montagna, Maria Teresa; Liguori, Giorgio; Orsi, Giovanni Battista; Napoli, Christian. - In: VACCINES. - ISSN 2076-393X. - 9:6(2021), p. 638. [10.3390/vaccines9060638]

Knowledge and Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccination among Undergraduate Students from Central and Southern Italy

Roma, Paolo;Ferracuti, Stefano;Orsi, Giovanni Battista;Napoli, Christian
2021

Abstract

At the end of 2020, the Italian Ministry of Health launched a national vaccination campaign to counteract the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study aimed at appraising levels of knowledge about and acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination in a sample of Italian undergraduates during the first phase of the immunization plan. A web-based questionnaire was administered to students attending universities in Bari, Naples, and Rome during the period February–April 2021. Of the total of 3226 participants, 91.9% were keen to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. More than 80% gave correct answers to questions about COVID-19 vaccine administration, functioning, and effects on community health. However, only 63.8% identified the correct composition of the available vaccines. Knowledge was found to be related to sociodemographic features and COVID-19 vaccination acceptance (p < 0.05). COVID-19 vaccination acceptance was found to be related to having a previous vaccination against influenza (OR 3.806, CI 95% 1.181–12.267; p = 0.025) and knowledge (OR 4.759, CI 95% 2.106– 10.753; p = 0.000). These results show a good level of awareness about COVID-19 vaccination in this population, which may indicate the effectiveness of communication strategies accompanying the COVID-19 immunization campaign in Italy.
2021
SARS-COV-2; COVID-19; vaccine hesitancy; vaccine acceptance; information; undergraduates
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
Knowledge and Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccination among Undergraduate Students from Central and Southern Italy / Gallè, Francesca; Sabella, Elita Anna; Roma, Paolo; De Giglio, Osvalda; Caggiano, Giuseppina; Tafuri, Silvio; Da Molin, Giovanna; Ferracuti, Stefano; Montagna, Maria Teresa; Liguori, Giorgio; Orsi, Giovanni Battista; Napoli, Christian. - In: VACCINES. - ISSN 2076-393X. - 9:6(2021), p. 638. [10.3390/vaccines9060638]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1553659
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