COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among university students in Lebanon

Abstract

Little is known about the decision-making process of college students in Lebanon regarding coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) vaccination. The aim of this study was to identify factors predicting behavioural intentions of students enrolled at the American University of Beirut to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine. A total of 3805 students were randomly selected. Participants were divided into three groups: vaccine accepting (willing to take or already took the vaccine), vaccine hesitant (hesitant to take the vaccine) and vaccine resistant (decided not to take the vaccine). Overall, participants were vaccine accepting (87%), with 10% and 3% being hesitant and resistant, respectively. Vaccine hesitancy was significantly associated with nationality, residency status and university rank. Participants who believed the vaccine was safe and in agreement with their personal views were less likely to be hesitant. Participants who did not receive the flu vaccine were more hesitant than those who did. Moreover, a significant association between hesitancy and agreement with conspiracies was observed. A high level of knowledge about COVID-19 disease and vaccine resulted in lower odds of vaccine resistance among students. The factors identified explaining each of the three vaccine intention groups can be used as core content for health communication and social marketing campaigns to increase the rate of COVID-19 vaccination.