Knowledge, Perception, and Intention to Promote Malaria Vaccination Among Students in Southwestern Nigeria: A...

Malaria remains a major public health burden in Nigeria, and the introduction of malaria vaccines offers a promising strategy for reducing morbidity and mortality. This study assessed knowledge, perception, and intention to promote malaria vaccination among health technology students in Southwestern Nigeria.

A cross-sectional study was conducted from November to December 2025 among 300 students using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, Spearman's correlation with approximate 95% confidence intervals, and HC3 robust multiple linear regression. Chi-square analyses of socio-demographic factors and intention were not interpreted because sparse cells violated test assumptions.

Most respondents demonstrated moderate (50.3%) to good (40.7%) knowledge of the malaria vaccine. A positive overall perception score-reflecting both supportive attitudes toward vaccination and awareness of implementation-related concerns-was observed in 63.7% of participants, while 81.3% showed high intention to educate and recommend vaccination. Median scores were 14.0/20.0 for knowledge, 34.0/40.0 for perception, and 39.0/40.0 for intention. Perception was strongly associated with intention (rho = 0.553, 95% CI 0.469-0.627, p < 0.001), whereas knowledge was not significantly associated with intention (rho = -0.095, p = 0.101). In robust regression, perception remained independently and strongly associated with intention (B = 0.455, 95% CI 0.371-0.539, p < 0.001).

While knowledge of malaria vaccination was moderate to good among health technology students, perception was more strongly related to intention to promote vaccination. Addressing misconceptions while strengthening accurate and context-sensitive vaccine communication is essential for improving future vaccine promotion.