Determinants of intent to uptake Coronavirus vaccination among respondents in Saudi Arabia: a web-based national survey

Padhi, Bijaya Kumar; Almohaithef, Mohammed A.

Background Vaccine hesitancy is a potential threat to global public health. Since, there is an unprecedented global effort to develop a vaccine against the COVID-19 disease much less is known about its acceptance in the community. Understanding key determinants that influence the preferences and demands of a future vaccine by the community may help to develop strategies for improving the global vaccination program. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of the acceptancy of COVID-19 vaccine and their determinants among people in Saudi Arabia. Methods A web-based cross-sectional study was designed using snowball sampling strategies under a highly restricted environment. A bilingual self-administered anonymous questionnaire was designed and send to 1000 study participants through social media platforms and email. Study participants were recruited across the country, including the four major cities (Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, and Abha) in Saudi Arabia. Associations between COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and sociodemographic profile of the respondents were explored using the chi-squared test. Key determinants in predicting vaccine acceptancy among respondents were modelled using logistic regression analysis. Results Of the 1000 survey invitees 992 responded to the survey. The majority of the study participants (29.53%) were in the age group (36 to 45 years) and 65.8% were female and 17.9% were Non-Saudi participants. Of the 992 respondents 642 said they are interested in taking the COVID-19 vaccine once it is available. Willingness to accept a future COVID-19 vaccine is relatively high among older age groups (79.2% among 45+ year old), married participants (69.3%), participants with education levels of a postgraduate degree or higher (68.8%), non-Saudi (69.1%), workings with government sector (68.9%). In multivariate model, respondents who were above 45 years (aOR: 2.15; 95% CI: 1.08-3.21), and married (aOR: 1.79; 95% CI: 1.28-2.50) were significantly associated with vaccine acceptance (p < .05). Besides, people having trust in the health system were most likely to accept vaccination (aOR: 3.05; 95% CI: 1.13-4.92).Participants having a higher perceived risk of acquiring infection were 2.13 times higher odds of reporting their intention to uptake the COVID-19 vaccine (aOR: 2.13; 95% CI: 1.35-3.85). Conclusion Addressing sociodemographic determinants relating to the COVID-19 vaccination may help to increase uptake of the global vaccination program to tackle future pandemics. Targeted health education measures are needed among the general population to increase the uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine.