Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States.
Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dothan, AL, United States.
Front Public Health. 2022 May 18;10:816692. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.816692. eCollection 2022.
As evidence mounted that existing prevention methods would be insufficient to end the COVID-19 pandemic, it became clear that vaccines would be critical to achieve and maintain reduced rates of infection. However, vaccine-hesitant sentiments have become widespread, particularly in populations with lower scientific literacy. The non-STEM major (called non-major) college students represent one such population who rely on one or more science classes to develop their scientific literacy and thus, become candidates of interest for the success of the COVID-19 vaccine campaign. As these students have fewer opportunities to learn how to identify reputable scientific sources or judge the validity of novel scientific findings, it is particularly important that these skills are included in the science courses offered to non-majors. Two concurrent non-major biology courses ( = 98) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Spring 2021 completed Likert questionnaires with open-ended questions prior to and after an expert-led Vaccine Awareness educational intervention addressing vaccine-related concerns. In the module, experts gave presentations about COVID-19 related to microbiology, epidemiological factors, and professional experiences relating to COVID-19. Ten students agreed to participate in post-semester one-on-one interviews. Student interviews revealed that students perceived guest lecturers as providing more information and assurance. Questionnaire data showed an increase in student willingness to accept a COVID-19 vaccine as well as increased student perception of the COVID-19 vaccines as both safe and effective (Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test, < 0.05). However, the questionnaire data revealed 10 of 98 students remained vaccine-resistant, and these students expressed insufficient research and side effects as leading vaccination concerns. Overall, we show expert-led modules can be effective in increasing non-majors willingness to accept COVID-19 vaccines. Future research should explore the experiences of non-majors and guest lectures, particularly as they relate to vaccination and vaccine concerns.
随着越来越多的证据表明现有的预防方法不足以结束 COVID-19 大流行，很明显疫苗对于降低感染率至关重要。然而，疫苗犹豫情绪已经变得普遍，特别是在科学素养较低的人群中。非理工科专业（称为非专业）的大学生就是这样一个群体，他们依靠一门或多门科学课程来提高自己的科学素养，因此成为 COVID-19 疫苗接种运动成功的潜在对象。由于这些学生获得学习如何识别可靠科学来源或判断新科学发现有效性的机会较少，因此在向非专业学生提供的科学课程中纳入这些技能尤为重要。2021 年春季，阿拉巴马大学伯明翰分校的两门并行的非专业生物学课程（=98 人）在专家主导的疫苗意识教育干预（涉及与疫苗相关的担忧）前后完成了李克特问卷和开放式问题。在该模块中，专家就与微生物学、流行病学因素以及与 COVID-19 相关的专业经验相关的 COVID-19 进行了演讲。有 10 名学生同意在学期结束后进行一对一的访谈。学生访谈显示，学生认为客座讲师提供了更多的信息和保证。问卷调查数据显示，学生愿意接受 COVID-19 疫苗的意愿增加，并且学生对 COVID-19 疫苗的安全性和有效性的看法也有所提高（Wilcoxon 秩和检验， < 0.05）。但是，问卷调查数据显示，98 名学生中有 10 名仍然对疫苗有抵抗力，这些学生表示，研究不足和副作用是导致他们对疫苗接种产生顾虑的主要原因。总体而言，我们表明，专家主导的模块可以有效地提高非专业学生接受 COVID-19 疫苗的意愿。未来的研究应该探索非专业学生和客座讲师的经验，特别是与疫苗接种和疫苗相关的担忧有关的经验。
