Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Towards COVID-19 Vaccination Among Students and Staff at the Islamic University in...

Whereas the burden of Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) has greatly reduced worldwide in terms of morbidity and mortality, its impact is still affecting many countries economically, politically as well as in the healthcare systems. There is therefore a need to ensure that the community is protected and safe against the resurgence of the COVID-19 by embracing the vaccination against the disease. Taking up campaign messages about the COVID-19 vaccine, requires the community to have a certain level of understanding and have a good or positive attitude towards the vaccines, all of which influence good practices.

This study therefore, aimed at establishing the knowledge, attitude and practices towards COVID-19 vaccination among students and staff at the Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU).

The study used a cross-sectional design, and employed quantitative methods to collect data with semi-structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 27.0. (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY, USA).

A total of 397 respondents participated in the study. The mean knowledge score on COVID-19 Vaccination was 57.5%. All respondents had ever heard about COVID-19 vaccine. More than half of the respondents (54.2%) knew the vaccination site for COVID-19 vaccine. Few respondents (38.5%) knew the different brands of COVID-19 Vaccines. Only 34.1% of the respondents agreed that the COVID-19 vaccine was very effective; while 37.8% of the respondent's preferred vaccination as a control measure for COVID-19, and the rest preferred other means including face masks and hand washing.

Health education targeting the safety and efficacy of the vaccine will most likely impact knowledge, attitude and practice of respondents and eventual uptake, especially if messaging comes from trusted sources.