Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccination and Associated Knowledge, Attitude, Practice (KAP) and Demographic Factors among Resident Doctors at The University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Nigeria.

Background:

Despite the global emphasis on the prevention of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases through vaccination, there are still reports of vaccine hesitancy even among healthcare workers. This study provides useful insights on the measures likely to reduce vaccine hesitancy and strengthen the control of vaccine-preventable infections in a developing country like Nigeria.

Objective:

To estimate prevalence of acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine and analyse the associated KAP and demographic factors among Resident Doctors in order to provide information for policymakers focused on controlling vaccine-preventable pandemics.

Methods:

A cross-sectional survey of resident doctors at a Nigerian Teaching Hospital was done. A validated self-administered online questionnaire was used to collect the data on the KAPA of COVID-19 vaccine. Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess the strength of association of demographic variables and KAP with the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine.  

Results:

There was a prevalence of 79.7% acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine, with a statistically significant association between vaccine acceptability and good attitude (p = 0.0001) and vaccine acceptability and good practice (p = 0.001). The strength of association of vaccine acceptance and persons between 25 – 30 years was the strongest (β = 8.74 x 10-8) compared to older age groups.

Conclusion:

The acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine among resident doctors was high and significantly associated with younger age, good attitude, and good practice.