Determinants for Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccine among Nigerians

Abstract

\n AimTo assess the degree and determinants of COVID-19 Vaccine among NigeriansMaterials and methodsFollowing appropriate ethical protocol, a population-based cross-sectional study conducted from November 2020 to January 2021 using a pretested, self-administered questionnaire from a previous study adapted to suit the Nigeria setting and distributed among Nigerians aged 18 years and above. The country was grouped in to three regions: East, North and West representing the major ethnic groups in Nigeria. Participants were recruited based on six different catchments: residential, marketplace recreational areas, cooperate organizations, schools, and Faith-based organizations. Information obtained include socio-demographics, medical history related pertinent to COVID-19, level of knowledge, risk perception, and attitudes towards of COVID-19 and the vaccine amongst others. Descriptive and inferential statistics were done on the variables and results were summarized into percentages and associations noted.ResultsA total of 358 responses were obtained out of the 120 questionnaires distributed in each of the three regions of which. The mean age of respondents was 32years (±\u200911.2SD). Igbo and Yoruba were the major ethnic groups comprising 38% and 31% of study participants respectively. Three-quarter had tertiary education, 43% of them were civil servants and professionals, 34% of them were unemployed, and 8.9% of them were roadside traders. Majority (66.2%) were willing to accept the approved vaccine with male gender, identifying as Christian, Hausa ethnicity and living in the northern Nigeria had a significant positive association with COVID-19 vaccine uptake.Conclusiontwo out of three Nigerian adults indicated interest in accepting the corona virus vaccine. This calls with critical stakeholders and leaders at all levels to be involved in public education based on sound evidence and the discouragement of the spread of conspiracy theories to eliminate the negative associated factors will reduce vaccine hesitancy and increase COVID-19 vaccination rates in Nigeria.