Willingness to Accept COVID-19 Vaccine and Associated Factors among University Undergraduates in Southern Nigeria

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly and adversely impacted various aspects of our societies from health systems, tourism, education, economic growth, social interactions and even individual life. In addition to the various non-pharmacological interventions put in place globally, a safe and efficacious vaccine was one of the most promising strategies to curtail the virus, save lives and quickly end the public health crisis. This study assessed the willingness to accept COVID-19 vaccine among undergraduate students in Southern Nigeria. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among five hundred and forty undergraduate students in Benin City, Edo state in Nigeria. Data was collected using self-administered structured questionnaires. Five hundred and forty respondents were selected using a multistage sampling technique with statistical significance set at p ˂ 0.050 and 95% Confidence Interval. Data was collected and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25.0. Quantitative variables were expressed as frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviation and the main outcome variable in relation to willingness to accept COVID-19 Vaccine was classified as willing and not willing respectively. Results: A total of 540 undergraduate students participated in the study with a mean age ± SD (21.34 ± 2.73) years. More than half 276 (51.1%) of the respondents were not willing to take the COVID-19 vaccine. Faculty (OR = 2.359 CI = 1.131-4.918, p = 0.022.) and attitude towards COVID-19 Prevention (OR = 10.178; CI = 6.432-16.101. p = 0.001) of accept COVID-19 vaccine. Conclusion: Less than half of the respondents were willing to take the COVID-19 vaccine. Health education interventions targeting undergraduate students should be intensified to help improve their knowledge and positive behavioural change towards acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine.