Socio-demographic determinants of influenza vaccination uptake behavior: A nationwide cross-sectional study in Saudi Arabia

To investigate the sociodemographic determinants of flu vaccine uptake among the Saudi population.

A nationwide cross-sectional study was carried out in Saudi Arabia in December 2020, and 1,650 participants took the survey. Data were collected electronically using a structured questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was carried out to establish the association between vaccine uptake behavior and sociodemographic characteristics of the study participants.

Out of the 1650 participants, 31.5% reported having received the flu vaccine during the 2019-2020 flu season. The logistic regression analysis showed that age above 45 years (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=2.20, 95% confidence interval [CI]: [1.15-3.05], p=0.002), being married (aOR=1.75, 95% CI: [1.28-3.51], p=0.001), and having a postgraduate degree (aOR=1.51, 95% CI: [1.05-2.23], p=0.044) were significant factors associated with higher vaccine uptake. The study also showed that the perceived risk of getting the flu (aOR=2.15, 95% CI: [1.30-5.72], p=0.001) and knowledge regarding the vaccine (aOR=1.71, 95% CI: [1.08-4.22], p=0.001) were significant factors associated with vaccine uptake.

The findings suggest that efforts to increase flu vaccine uptake should focus on increasing awareness and education regarding the benefits of vaccination, particularly among young individuals.