Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) of COVID-19 Vaccine Among Saudi Mothers.

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine is a novel vaccine that was created during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to combat the highly contagious COVID-19 infection. Since the initiation of vaccine administration campaigns globally, lots of research was simultaneously being done to study the vaccine's side effects and possible complications, especially in vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and children. Saudi Arabia is one of the leading countries in administering the COVID-19 vaccine to its population. However, due to the exchange of a lot of incorrect information through social media platforms about the vaccine's safety, people, particularly women expecting a child, breastfeeding, or having younger children, started to display some vaccine hesitancy. This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of the COVID-19 vaccine among Saudi mothers and to recognize how certain individual characteristics affect it.

METHODS

This is an observational cross-sectional study that was carried out among 293 Saudi mothers attending primary healthcare clinics at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from April 2022 to July 2022. The participants completed a pre-validated self-administered questionnaire that was composed of 39 closed-response questions divided into four sections: participant characteristics, knowledge, attitude, and practice towards the COVID-19 vaccine. The English questionnaire was translated to Arabic, retranslated back to English, and then compared to the first English version by a different translator to ensure translation accuracy. A pilot study was conducted on 20 participants before the survey was distributed for data collection. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 23.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). The association between the four sections of the questionnaire was assessed using Chi-square test of proportion.  Results: The study found that 64% of the participants were below the age of 40. The majority (56%) have earned a bachelor's or a higher degree. According to 41%, "Ministry of Health official channels" was the most important source of COVID-19 vaccine-related information. Almost half of the respondents (45%) showed to have an excellent knowledge of the COVID-19 vaccine and 62% showed to have a positive attitude towards it. Around 40% of the participants reported that they delayed taking the COVID-19 vaccine until it was mandatory. For those who have children aged between 12 and 18 years, 78% stated that their children took the COVID-19 vaccine. Mothers aged below 40 years showed to have significantly better vaccine knowledge compared to the older group. Mothers who received the influenza vaccine over the past three years were less likely to delay taking the COVID-19 vaccine until it became mandatory compared to those who did not receive it.  Conclusion: Younger age, higher educational level, flu vaccine administration in the previous three years, and adherence to child immunization schedules were all factors that had a significant impact on the KAP towards the COVID-19 vaccine. Correcting misunderstandings about vaccine safety through educational campaigns and providing timely information through the Ministry of Health channels can all contribute to achieving better practice related to vaccine uptake in this group.