Correlates of COVID-19 vaccination status among college students

Nicolo, M.; Kawaguchi, E.; Ghanem-Uzqueda, A.; Kim, A. E.; Soto, D.; Deva, S.; Shanker, K. R.; Rogers, C.; Lee, R.; Gilliland, F.; Klausner, J.; Kovacs, A.; Conti, D. V.; Hu, H.; Unger, J. B.

Objectives. Despite the widespread availability of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States, vaccine hesitancy remains high among certain groups. This study examined the correlates of being unvaccinated among a sample of university students (N=2900) during the spring and summer of 2021, when the campus had been closed for over a year and students were preparing to return to in-person learning. Methods. Students responded to an email invitation and completed electronic surveys. Results. In multivariable logistic regression analyses, students were more likely to be unvaccinated if they were African American, identified with any political affiliation other than Democrat, were undergraduates or international students, had not traveled outside the Los Angeles during the pandemic, and/or had previously been ill with COVID-19. Conclusion. Findings indicate that culturally resonant educational interventions, and possibly vaccine requirements, are needed to promote vaccination among university students.