Top

Published in:

01-12-2021 | COVID-19 Vaccination | Original Paper

COVID-19 Vaccination and Intention to Vaccinate Among a Sample of College Students in New Jersey

Authors: Aleksandar Kecojevic, Corey H. Basch, Marianne Sullivan, Yen-Tyng Chen, Nicole K. Davi

Published in: Journal of Community Health | Issue 6/2021

Abstract

Vaccines are critical for curtailing the COVID-19 pandemic and may represent an important tool for return to “normalcy” on college campuses in the Fall of 2021. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent of vaccination coverage and intention to vaccinate among college students. College students (N = 457) enrolled in the Spring 2021 semester at a university in New Jersey completed a cross-sectional survey. The survey collected information on demographics, COVID-19 and vaccination history, knowledge levels and sources of COVID-19 vaccine information, and vaccine attitudes. Multivariable regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with vaccination, and the intention to vaccinate among non-vaccinated students. Results indicate that 23% (n = 105) of participants reported being vaccinated already. Among non-vaccinated students, 52.8% indicated their intention to receive the vaccine when it is made available to college students. Students who were health care workers (adjusted odds ratio, aOR = 4.17, p < 0.001), had a family member who had received a COVID-19 vaccine (aOR = 5.03, p < 0.001), exhibited greater positive attitudes regarding vaccination (aOR = 1.12, p < 0.001), and received a seasonal flu vaccine (aOR = 1.97, p < 0.05) were more likely to have received the COVID-19 vaccine. Among non-vaccinated students, those who discussed COVID-19 vaccine information with others (aOR = 5.38, p < 0.001), and exhibited more overall positive attitudes regarding vaccination (aOR = 2.69, p < 0.001), were more likely to indicate their willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Findings of this study highlight the need for additional education and vaccine outreach aimed at promoting uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine among college students.

Copeland, W. E., McGinnis, E., Bai, Y., Adams, Z., Nardone, H., Devadanam, V., Rettew, J., & Hudziak, J. J. (2020). Impact of COVID on college student mental health and wellness. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, S0890–8567(20), 31988–31992. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2020.08.466CrossRef

Kecojevic, A., Basch, C. H., Sullivan, M., & Davi, N. K. (2020). The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on mental health of undergraduate students in New Jersey, cross-sectional study. PLoS ONE, 15(9), e0239696. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239696CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

The New York Times. (2021, April 5). Those 16 or older in New Jersey will be eligible for a vaccine on April 19, the governor says. The New York Times. New York. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/05/nyregion/new-jersey-covid-vaccine-eligible.html

Fugleberg, J. (2021, March 10). South Dakota opens COVID-19 vaccines to teachers, funeral workers, some college students. Jamestown Sun. Retrieved from https://www.jamestownsun.com/newsmd/coronavirus/6927454-South-Dakota-opens-COVID-19-vaccines-to-teachers-funeral-workers-some-college-students

American College Health Association. (2021). Mass vaccination clinic guidance and resources. Retrieved March 10, 2021, from https://www.acha.org/ACHA/Resources/COVID-19_Novel_Coronavirus/Mass_Vaccination_Guidance_and_Resources/ACHA/Resources/Topics/Mass_Vaccination_Clinic_Guidance_and_Resources.aspx?hkey=aa394485-cc39-417a-ab2e-bcddc24f14ed

CNN. (2021). Rutgers University to require Covid-19 vaccine for students attending in the fall. Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/25/us/rutgers-covid-vaccine-students/index.html

Schaffer Deroo, S., Pudalov, N. J., & Fu, L. Y. (2020). Planning for a COVID-19 vaccination program. JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.8711CrossRefPubMed

Pew Research Center. (2021). Growing share of Americans say they plan to get a COVID-19 vaccine—or already have. Retrieved March 10, 2021, from https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2021/03/05/growing-share-of-americans-say-they-plan-to-get-a-covid-19-vaccine-or-already-have/

Dubé, E., Vivion, M., & MacDonald, N. E. (2014). Vaccine hesitancy, vaccine refusal and the anti-vaccine movement: Influence, impact and implications. Expert Review of Vaccines. https://doi.org/10.1586/14760584.2015.964212CrossRefPubMed

10.

Barnard, M., George, P., Perryman, M. L., & Wolff, L. A. (2017). Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine knowledge, attitudes, and uptake in college students: Implications from the Precaution Adoption Process Model. PLoS ONE, 12(8), e0182266. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0182266CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

11.

Wise, T., Zbozinek, T. D., Michelini, G., Hagan, C. C., & Mobbs, D. (2020). Changes in risk perception and self-reported protective behaviour during the first week of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States: COVID-19 risk perception and behavior. Royal Society Open Science. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.200742rsos200742CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

12.

Jaiswal, J., & Halkitis, P. N. (2019). Towards a more inclusive and dynamic understanding of medical mistrust informed by science. Behavioral Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1080/08964289.2019.1619511CrossRefPubMed

13.

Bogart, L. M., Ojikutu, B. O., Tyagi, K., Klein, D. J., Mutchler, M. G., Dong, L., Lawrence, S. J., Thomas, D. R., & Kellman, S. (2021). COVID-19 related medical mistrust, health impacts, and potential vaccine hesitancy among black Americans living with HIV. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 86(2), 200–207. https://doi.org/10.1097/QAI.0000000000002570CrossRefPubMed

14.

Barello, S., Nania, T., Dellafiore, F., Graffigna, G., & Caruso, R. (2020). ‘Vaccine hesitancy’ among university students in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic. European Journal of Epidemiology, 35(8), 781–783. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-020-00670-zCrossRefPubMed

15.

Pastorino, R., Villani, L., Mariani, M., Ricciardi, W., Graffigna, G., & Boccia, S. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on flu and COVID-19 vaccination intentions among university students. Vaccines, 9(2), 70. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9020070CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

16.

Manning, M. L., Gerolamo, A. M., Marino, M. A., Hanson-Zalot, M. E., & Pogorzelska-Maziarz, M. (2021). COVID-19 vaccination readiness among nurse faculty and student nurses. Nursing Outlook. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2021.01.019CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

17.

Lucia, V. C., Kelekar, A., & Afonso, N. M. (2020). COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among medical students. Journal of Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdaa230CrossRef

18.

Qiao, S., Tam, C. C., & Li, X. (2020). Risk exposures, risk perceptions, negative attitudes toward general vaccination, and COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among college students in South Carolina. medRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.11.26.20239483CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

19.

Graupensperger, S., Abdallah, D. A., & Lee, C. M. (2021). Social norms and vaccine uptake: College students’ COVID vaccination intentions, attitudes, and estimated peer norms and comparisons with influenza vaccine. Vaccine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.03.018CrossRefPubMed

20.

Von Ah, D., Ebert, S., Ngamvitroj, A., Park, N., & Kang, D. H. (2004). Predictors of health behaviours in college students. Journal of Advanced Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2004.03229.xCrossRef

21.

Natipagon-Shah, B., Lee, E., & Lee, S. Y. (2020). Knowledge, beliefs, and practices among U. S. college students concerning papillomavirus vaccination. Journal of Community Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-020-00922-9CrossRefPubMed

22.

Shon, E. J., Choe, S., Lee, L., & Ki, Y. (2021). Influenza vaccination among U.S. college or university students: A systematic review. American Journal of Health Promotion. https://doi.org/10.1177/0890117120985833CrossRefPubMed

23.

Landowska, K., Waller, J., Bedford, H., Rockliffe, L., & Forster, A. S. (2017). Influences on university students’ intention to receive recommended vaccines: A cross-sectional survey. British Medical Journal Open. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016544CrossRef

24.

Qiao, S., Friedman, D. B., Tam, C. C., Zeng, C., & Li, X. (2020). Vaccine acceptance among college students in South Carolina: Do information sources and trust in information make a difference? medRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.12.02.20242982CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

25.

Fisher, K. A., Bloomstone, S. J., Walder, J., Crawford, S., Fouayzi, H., & Mazor, K. M. (2020). Attitudes toward a potential SARS-CoV-2 vaccine: A survey of U.S. adults. Annals of Internal Medicine, 173(12), 964–973. https://doi.org/10.7326/M20-3569CrossRefPubMed

26.

Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using multivariate statistics 5. Boston: Pearson Allyn and Bacon (6th ed.). Pearson. Retrieved from https://www.pearson.com/us/higher-education/program/Tabachnick-Using-Multivariate-Statistics-6th-Edition/PGM332849.html

27.

The New York Times. (2020). Tracking the coronavirus at U.S. colleges and universities. Retrieved March 10, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/covid-college-cases-tracker.html

28.

Dooling, K., McClung, N., Chamberland, M., Marin, M., Wallace, M., Bell, B. P., Lee, G. M., Talbot, H. K., Romero, J. R., & Oliver, S. E. (2020). The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ Interim Recommendation for allocating initial supplies of COVID-19 Vaccine—United States, 2020. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 69(49), 1857–1859. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6949e1CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

29.

Wilson, K. L., White, A., Rosen, B. L., Chiappone, A., Pulczinski, J. C., Ory, M. G., & Smith, M. L. (2016). Factors associated with college students’ intentions to vaccinate their daughters against HPV: Protecting the next generation. Journal of Community Health, 41(5), 1078–1089. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-016-0192-8CrossRefPubMed

30.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, C. (2020). Flu vaccination coverage, United States, 2019–20 Influenza Season | FluVaxView | Seasonal Influenza (Flu). Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/flu/fluvaxview/coverage-1920estimates.htm

31.

Daly, M., & Robinson, E. (2020). Willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19 in the US: Longitudinal evidence from a nationally representative sample of adults from April–October 2020. medRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.11.27.20239970CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

32.

Rodriguez, S. A., Mullen, P. D., Lopez, D. M., Savas, L. S., & Fernández, M. E. (2020, February 1). Factors associated with adolescent HPV vaccination in the U.S.: A systematic review of reviews and multilevel framework to inform intervention development. Preventive Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2019.105968

33.

Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-TCrossRef

34.

Maurer, J. (2016). Inspecting the mechanism: A longitudinal analysis of socioeconomic status differences in perceived influenza risks, vaccination intentions, and vaccination behaviors during the 2009–2010 influenza pandemic. Medical Decision Making, 36(7), 887–899. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272989X15608379CrossRefPubMed

35.

Ye, L., Fang, T., Cui, J., Zhu, G., Ma, R., Sun, Y., Li, P., Li, H., Dong, H., & Xu, G. (2021). The intentions to get vaccinated against influenza and actual vaccine uptake among diabetic patients in Ningbo, China: Identifying motivators and barriers. Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics, 17(1), 106–118. https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2020.1761201CrossRefPubMed

36.

Reiss, D. (2021). Can employers mandate a vaccine under emergency use authorization? Bill of Health. Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://blog.petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2021/02/24/employer-mandate-covid-vaccine-eua/

Title: COVID-19 Vaccination and Intention to Vaccinate Among a Sample of College Students in New Jersey
Authors: Aleksandar Kecojevic
Corey H. Basch
Marianne Sullivan
Yen-Tyng Chen
Nicole K. Davi
Publication date: 01-12-2021
Publisher: Springer US
Keywords: COVID-19 Vaccination
Vaccination
COVID-19
Published in: Journal of Community Health / Issue 6/2021
Print ISSN: 0094-5145
Electronic ISSN: 1573-3610
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-021-00992-3

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

COVID-19 Vaccination and Intention to Vaccinate Among a Sample of College Students in New Jersey

Abstract

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 6/2021

Trends in COVID-19 Testing and Positivity Rates from a Mobile Testing Program in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area

Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Covid-19 and Vaccines Among a New York Haredi-Orthodox Jewish Community

Variations in Medical Students’ Educational Preferences, Attitudes and Volunteerism during the COVID-19 Global Pandemic

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Its Determinants Among Adults with a History of Tobacco or Marijuana Use

Face Mask Use Among Commercial Drivers During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Accra, Ghana

Lipid Levels in Refugees from Burma