Author(s):
Sarah A. Haji, Raed Taha Alneama, Najwan Sadik Shareef Al- Ghazzawi
Email(s):
raed.yaseen@uobasrah.edu.iq
DOI:
10.52711/0974-360X.2023.00595 
Address:
Sarah A. Haji 1, Raed Taha Alneama2*, Najwan Sadik Shareef Al- Ghazzawi3
1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, College of Dentistry, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq.
2Department of Basic Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq.
3Department of Basic Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq.
*Corresponding Author
Published In:
Volume - 16,
Issue - 8,
Year - 2023
ABSTRACT:
Dental students (DS) were classified to be at a considerable risk of exposure to COVID-19 due to the nature of their practice. Assess the attitudes of DS towards COVID-19 vaccines and look into possible motivators for students’ acceptance levels were carried out. This descriptive, cross-sectional survey was conducted among dental students to assess DS familiarity with and willingness to be vaccinated against COVID-19. A total of 880 DSs completed the survey. About 70% of DS confirmed that they would take the vaccine voluntarily, without any hesitation/apprehension. While 16% were reluctant to take the vaccine, and 14 % refused to take the vaccine. Vaccine acceptance among DS differed by various sociodemographic characteristics. Males (192/260; 73.8 %) appear to be more accepted to be vaccinated than females. On the other hand, DS at the clinical stage (162/209; 77.5%) represents the most respondents who were most likely to receive a COVID-19 vaccine (P =0.002). Only two variables show a significant difference between males and females regarding reasons behind not being vaccinated: fear of needle injection and fear of rumours that the vaccine may cause infertility (p-value = 0,048, 0,013), respectively. Social Media (n= 552: 62.7%), family and friends (n=549: 62.4%) were chosen by DS as the most trustworthy resources for information about the COVID-19 vaccination. The study showed a high acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination among DS at the University of Basrah. The increased acceptance of COVID-19 immunization among DS is expected to benefit the community by raising awareness and vaccine uptake.
Cite this article:
Sarah A. Haji, Raed Taha Alneama, Najwan Sadik Shareef Al- Ghazzawi. Acceptance of COVID -19 vaccines and associated barriers among dental students at college of Dentistry, University of Basrah: A cross-sectional study. Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology 2023; 16(8):3608-4. doi: 10.52711/0974-360X.2023.00595
Cite(Electronic):
Sarah A. Haji, Raed Taha Alneama, Najwan Sadik Shareef Al- Ghazzawi. Acceptance of COVID -19 vaccines and associated barriers among dental students at college of Dentistry, University of Basrah: A cross-sectional study. Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology 2023; 16(8):3608-4. doi: 10.52711/0974-360X.2023.00595 Available on: https://rjptonline.org/AbstractView.aspx?PID=2023-16-8-15
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