The level of knowledge and acceptance towards the COVID-19 vaccine among the community in Johor Bahru, Johor

• Published in: Medical Journal of Malaysia
• Main Author: Mohd Anuar A.H.; Mohamad Anuar N.N.; Isa S.N.I.; Bahari M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malaysian Medical Association 2024
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85189580972&partnerID=40&md5=946739d6e9b1ab1926133e0c16ea0081

Introduction: Several necessary initiatives have been made to create a readily available vaccine against the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) worldwide pandemic. However, the vaccination program’s success is dependent on the population's willingness as well as their knowledge of vaccination. Hence, the present study aimed to assess the level of knowledge and acceptance towards the COVID-19 vaccine among the community in Johor Bahru, Johor. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online survey between February and May 2022, with 423 respondents. The questionnaire consisted of socio-demographic, assessment of knowledge level and acceptance level towards COVID-19 vaccine. The descriptive analysis and non-parametric tests were employed to investigate the study outline objectives. Results: Of all 423 participants, 293 (69.3%) of the participants had a high level of knowledge about the COVID-19 vaccine (median knowledge score 6; IQR = 3), and 239 (56.5%) were reported to have a low level of vaccine acceptance (median acceptance scores 4; IQR=2). The knowledge level towards the COVID-19 vaccine was significantly associated with the vaccine acceptance level (p<0.001). Conclusion: The community’s level of knowledge towards COVID-19 vaccine was high; however, the vaccine acceptance was low. © 2024, Malaysian Medical Association. All rights reserved.