Understanding Students' Vaccination Literacy and Perception in a Middle-Income Country: Case Study from Kazakhstan

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Immunology
• Social Science

Background:

• Vaccination acceptance is crucial for infectious disease prevention but varies globally.
• Vaccine hesitancy presents a significant challenge to public health initiatives worldwide.
• Understanding specific populations' attitudes towards vaccination is vital for tailoring strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess vaccination literacy and attitudes among university students in Kazakhstan.
• To identify factors associated with vaccination literacy and beliefs in this demographic.
• To provide insights for improving immunization strategies in middle-income countries.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey involving 3142 students from Kazakh universities.
• Utilized the HLS19-VAC instrument to measure vaccination literacy.
• Collected data on beliefs, attitudes, past vaccination behavior, age, gender, and location.

Main Results:

• The average vaccination literacy score was 84.74%.
• A majority of students affirmed the importance (83.4%), safety (79.1%), effectiveness (80.9%), and religious compatibility (77.8%) of vaccines.
• Positive vaccine beliefs strongly correlated with higher vaccination literacy scores; past vaccination status and age also showed positive associations.

Conclusions:

• Positive beliefs regarding vaccines are significantly linked to higher vaccination literacy among Kazakh students.
• Educational interventions focused on reinforcing positive vaccine beliefs can potentially improve vaccination literacy and rates.
• Understanding and addressing student attitudes is key to enhancing public health strategies in Kazakhstan and similar middle-income nations.