Daher Sarah, Fakhoury Hana M A, Tamim Hani, Saleem Rimah, Alshammary Bader Saad, Alzahrani Raed Jaber, Alzahrani Nawaf Mohammed, Geraat Elias Ali, Abolfotouh Mostafa, Jawdat Dunia
College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, P.O. Box 50927, 11533, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Internal Medicine, Clinical Research Institute, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.
J Epidemiol Glob Health. 2025 Apr 16;15(1):61. doi: 10.1007/s44197-025-00393-y.
The implementation of a global COVID-19 vaccination campaign has been one of the most effective interventions in controlling the pandemic. However, vaccine hesitancy remains a major public health challenge, extending to COVID-19 vaccines. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination and willingness to participate in clinical trials among Saudi university affiliates.
An anonymous online questionnaire was distributed between June 2021 and June 2022 to affiliates of four major universities in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Attitudes toward vaccination were assessed using the 12-item Vaccination Attitudes Examination (VAX) scale, while attitudes toward clinical trial participation were evaluated through statements rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Statistical analyses were conducted to determine associations between vaccine acceptance, clinical trial participation, and demographic factors.
A total of 365 respondents participated in the study. The majority were healthcare students, with most in their fourth academic year. Overall, 50.4% of the study sample exhibited vaccine and clinical trial hesitancy. Females exhibited significantly higher vaccine acceptance than males (P = 0.013), though hesitancy rates were only borderline significant between genders (P = 0.063). Healthcare students had significantly higher vaccine acceptance (P < 0.0001) and greater willingness to participate in clinical trials (P < 0.0001) compared to students from science and humanities disciplines. While most participants believed in vaccine safety and effectiveness, many expressed hesitancy regarding the motivations of pharmaceutical companies. Although attitudes toward clinical trials were generally favorable, only 37.8% expressed willingness to participate, and this figure dropped to 32.9% for COVID-19 vaccine trials. Vaccine acceptors were significantly more likely to be willing to participate in clinical trials (P < 0.0001).
Understanding university students' perspectives on vaccination and clinical trials can help shape targeted public health campaigns to address vaccine hesitancy. Future research is needed to explore determinants of vaccine hesitancy and barriers to clinical trial participation in this population.
实施全球新冠疫苗接种运动是控制该大流行最有效的干预措施之一。然而，疫苗犹豫仍然是一项重大的公共卫生挑战，新冠疫苗也不例外。这项横断面研究旨在评估沙特大学附属机构人员对新冠疫苗接种的态度以及参与临床试验的意愿。
2021年6月至2022年6月期间，向沙特阿拉伯利雅得四所主要大学的附属机构人员发放了一份匿名在线问卷。使用12项疫苗接种态度调查问卷（VAX）量表评估对疫苗接种的态度，同时通过在5点李克特量表上评分的陈述来评估对参与临床试验的态度。进行统计分析以确定疫苗接受度、临床试验参与度与人口统计学因素之间的关联。
共有365名受访者参与了该研究。大多数是医学生，其中大多数处于第四学年。总体而言，50.4%的研究样本表现出对疫苗和临床试验的犹豫态度。女性的疫苗接受度显著高于男性（P = 0.013），尽管性别之间的犹豫率仅为临界显著（P = 0.063）。与来自科学和人文学科的学生相比，医学生的疫苗接受度显著更高（P < 0.0001），参与临床试验的意愿也更强（P < 0.0001）。虽然大多数参与者相信疫苗的安全性和有效性，但许多人对制药公司的动机表示犹豫。尽管对临床试验的态度总体上是积极的，但只有37.8%的人表示愿意参与，而对于新冠疫苗试验，这一数字降至32.9%。接受疫苗者更有可能愿意参与临床试验（P < 0.0001）。
了解大学生对疫苗接种和临床试验的看法有助于制定有针对性的公共卫生运动，以解决疫苗犹豫问题。未来需要开展研究，以探索该人群中疫苗犹豫的决定因素以及参与临床试验的障碍。
