Observational Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Virol. Dec 25, 2024; 13(4): 98551
Published online Dec 25, 2024. doi: 10.5501/wjv.v13.i4.98551
Acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine and its related determinants in Nigeria: An online survey
Eyiuche D Ezigbo, Seyi S Enitan, Esther N Adejumo, Abiodun E Durosinmi, Richard Y Akele, Michael O Dada, Grace E Itodo, Abah M Idoko, Okeoghene M Edafetanure-Ibeh, Edwin N Okafor, Adedeji A Abdulsalam, Oyekan I Oyedoyin, Polit U Yelpoji, Ogunwola O Opeyemi, Ogbuji S Nmesomachi, Adesola O Oyekale, Chisom B Onyeji
Eyiuche D Ezigbo, Haemostasis and Thrombosis Unit, Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, EN 400241, Nigeria
Seyi S Enitan, Esther N Adejumo, Michael O Dada, Chisom B Onyeji, Department of Medical Laboratory Science, School of Public and Allied Health, Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, OG 121109, Nigeria
Abiodun E Durosinmi, Department of Medical Laboratory Science, State Hospital, Ijebu-Ode, OG 120221, Nigeria
Richard Y Akele, Department of Biomedical Science, School of Applied Science, University of Brighton, Brighton, ES BN2 4AT, United Kingdom
Grace E Itodo, Department of Microbiology, Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja, Lokoja, KO 260006, Nigeria
Abah M Idoko, Department of Hematology and Blood Group Serology, Federal College of Veterinary and Medical Laboratory Technology, Vom, PL 930101, Nigeria
Okeoghene M Edafetanure-Ibeh, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Texas A and M University School of Public Health, Garland, TX 75049, United States
Edwin N Okafor, Division of Chemical Pathology, Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, EN 400102, Nigeria
Adedeji A Abdulsalam, School of Molecular Bioscience Sciences, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, SCO G12 8QQ, United Kingdom
Oyekan I Oyedoyin, Department of Medical Laboratory Science, State Hospital Ijebu-Ode, Ijebu-Ode, OG 360101, Nigeria
Polit U Yelpoji, Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Health Sciences and Technology, University of Jos, Jos, PL 930103, Nigeria
Ogunwola O Opeyemi, Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Bola Tinubu Health and Diagnostic Center, Lagos, LA 100102, Nigeria
Ogbuji S Nmesomachi, Department of Pathology, 68 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Yaba, LA 1211001, Nigeria
Adesola O Oyekale, Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, OS 2111105, Nigeria
Co-first authors: Eyiuche D Ezigbo and Seyi S Enitan.
Author contributions: Ezigbo ED, Enitan SS, and Adejumo EN conceptualized and designed the study; Ezigbo ED, Enitan SS, Adejumo EN, Durosinm AE, Akele RY, Dada MO, Itodo GE, Idoko AM, Edafetanure-Ibeh OM, Okafor EN, Abdulsalam AA, Oyedoyin OI, Yelpoji PU, Opeyemi OO, Nmesomachi GS, Oyekale AO, and Onyeji CB performed the research; Enitan SS, Ezigbo ED, Adejumo EN, Akele RY, Yelpoji PU, Opeyemi OO, Idoko AM, Edafetanure-Ibeh OM, and Oyekale AO analyzed and interpreted the data; Ezigbo ED, Enitan SS, Akele RY, and Oyekale AO drafted the manuscript; Ezigbo ED, Enitan SS, Adejumo EN, Akele RY, Dada MO, Itodo GE, and Onyeji CB revised the manuscript for important intellectual content; Oyekale AO and Enitan SS performed the statistical analysis; Ezigbo ED, Enitan SS, and Adejumo EN supervised the study; All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: Ethical approval for this study was granted by the Babcock University Health Research Ethics Committee with ethical approval registration number, No. BUHREC 278/21.
Informed consent statement: All study participants provided informed consent by ticking the ‘informed consent’ box in the Google Form prior to study enrollment; without this consent, they were unable to take the survey.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: Consent to share data was not obtained but the presented data were anonymized and risk of identification is low.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Seyi S Enitan, BSc, MSc, Senior Lecturer, Department of Medical Laboratory Science, School of Public and Allied Health, Babcock University, PMB 4003, Ilishan-Remo, OG 121109, Nigeria. enitans@babcock.edu.ng
Received: June 29, 2024
Revised: August 14, 2024
Accepted: September 2, 2024
Published online: December 25, 2024
Processing time: 111 Days and 6.2 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Vaccine hesitancy is a major challenge in the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Identifying the sociodemographic factors associated with vaccine acceptance among Nigerians is crucial for improving vaccine uptake.

AIM

To assess the acceptance rate of COVID-19 vaccine and its related determinants among Nigerians.

METHODS

An online cross-sectional survey (observational study) was conducted between February 2021 and May 2021, using a questionnaire hosted on SurveyMonkey. The invitation to take part in the poll was sent out to participants through social networking platforms. A logistic regression was used to determine which sociodemographic factors were associated with vaccine acceptance constructs.

RESULTS

A total of 1800 persons responded to the survey, a larger proportion of whom were males (53.9%) and within the age group of 21-30 years (29.4%) and earned an average income of less than $500 per month (43.3%). Only 0.56% of participants had a high perceived risk of COVID-19 infection, while only 1.11% had a perceived risk of dying from COVID-19. The perception rate of the COVID-19 vaccine among participants was 51.1%, while the acceptance rate was 63.9%. There was no significant association between the COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate and related determinants assessed, particularly age (χ² = 3.049, P = 0.550), sex (χ² = 0.102, P = 0.749), average income (χ² = 3.802, P = 0.875), and religion (χ² = 2.819, P = 0.420). Participants with chronic conditions demonstrated a higher acceptance rate compared to the general population.

CONCLUSION

Despite the positive perception observed and substantial vaccine acceptance rate among the study participants, more public health interventions are still needed to enhance vaccine acceptability in Nigeria.

Keywords: Acceptance; COVID-19; Determinants; Hesitancy; Nigerians; Online survey; Vaccine

Core Tip: This study assessed coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine acceptance among Nigerians through an online survey with 1800 respondents. Despite a substantial acceptance rate of 63.9%, sociodemographic factors (age, sex, income, and religion) did not significantly influence vaccine uptake. Positive perceptions of vaccination were common, yet financial barriers affected acceptance rates. Key findings suggest enhancing public health education, economic support, and trust-building measures to improve vaccine uptake. Notably, individuals with chronic conditions were more inclined to accept the vaccine, underscoring the need for targeted interventions to achieve broader immunization coverage and herd immunity in Nigeria.