Awareness and acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines and associated factors among pharmacy students in Zambia

AimThis study aimed to assess the awareness and acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines and associated factors among pharmacy studentsin Zambia.Materials and MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study among 326 undergraduate pharmacy students in Lusaka, Zambia, from February to April 2021.Data were analysed using Stata version 16.1. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine key factors influencing vaccineacceptance.ResultsOf the 326 participants, 98.8% were aware of the COVID-19 vaccines, but only 24.5% would accept vaccination. Compared to otherreligions, being of Christian faith was associated with reduced odds of awareness of the COVID-19 vaccine (aOR=0.01, 95% CI:0.01-0.20). Conversely, factors associated with vaccine acceptance were being male, single and unemployed. Compared to females,male respondents were 86% more likely to accept the vaccine if it was made available (aOR=1.86, 95% CI: 1.10-3.14). In addition,unmarried respondents were 2.65 times as likely to accept vaccination than married respondents (aOR=2.65, 95% CI: 1.06-6.63).Conversely, unemployed respondents were less likely to accept vaccination than their employed counterparts (aOR=0.32, 95% CI:0.16-0.46). Barriers to the acceptability of the vaccine were possible side effects (78.5%) and scepticism about its effectiveness(10.2%).ConclusionThere was significant vaccine hesitancy toward COVID-19 vaccines among Zambian pharmacy students despite their awarenessof the vaccines. Health authorities must work collaboratively with training institutions to mitigate vaccine hesitancy, especially withhealthcare students being a key part of the future healthcare workforce overseeing disease prevention strategies.