Sociopsychological determinants of COVID‐19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy among the students' of higher secondary schools in rural Bangladesh: A cross‐sectional study

Abstract

Administering coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) vaccines among the student of higher secondary schools has unprecedented importance for securing community health and ensuring in‐person class attainment. This study investigated higher secondary students' COVID‐19 vaccine acceptance and identified the underlying sociopsychological determinants of vaccine acceptance and hesitance. An anonymous, multi‐item, and closed‐ended questionnaire was developed from a theoretical analysis of relevant literature. Data were collected from April 2022 to August 2022 using a face‐to‐face interview approach. Binary logistic regression was employed to assess the study objectives. A total of 1514 students participated and the pooled COVID‐19 vaccine acceptance rate was 69.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 67.9─71.9). Out of 13 key determinants, “safety,” “efficacy,” and “communication” had highly significant positive associations (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 95% CI = 3.542, 2.305–6.090; 2.494, 1.513–4.347; and 1.047, 1.008–1.912 respectively, p < .01), while “culture” had a significant positive association (AOR, 95% CI = 1.421, 1.002–1.502, p < .05) with vaccine acceptance. The binary logistic model also revealed that “side effects” and “injection anxiety” had significant negative associations (AOR, 95% CI = 1.483, 0.920–2.449; and 1.312, 0.911–1.625 respectively, p < .05) with the COVID‐19 vaccine acceptance. The odds of receiving the vaccine were found to be 1.9 and it was highly significant (p < .01) in the χ² test. Psychological response to COVID‐19 vaccine from higher secondary students was found slightly lower. Side effects and injection anxiety were the psychological barriers associated with school‐going students' vaccination decision.