Sociopsychological determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy among the students' of higher secondary schools in rural Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study

Administering coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines among the student of higher secondary schools has unprecedented importance for securing community health and ensuring in-person class attainment. This study investigated higher secondary students' COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and identified the underlying sociopsychological determinants of vaccine acceptance and hesitance. An anonymous, multi-item, and closed-ended questionnaire was developed from a theoretical analysis of relevant literature. Data were collected from April 2022 to August 2022 using a face-to-face interview approach. Binary logistic regression was employed to assess the study objectives. A total of 1514 students participated and the pooled COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate was 69.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 67.971.9). Out of 13 key determinants, "safety," "efficacy," and "communication" had highly significant positive associations (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 95% CI = 3.542, 2.305-6.090; 2.494, 1.513-4.347; and 1.047, 1.008-1.912 respectively, p < .01), while "culture" had a significant positive association (AOR, 95% CI = 1.421, 1.002-1.502, p < .05) with vaccine acceptance. The binary logistic model also revealed that "side effects" and "injection anxiety" had significant negative associations (AOR, 95% CI = 1.483, 0.920-2.449; and 1.312, 0.911-1.625 respectively, p < .05) with the COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. The odds of receiving the vaccine were found to be 1.9 and it was highly significant (p < .01) in the ?(2) test. Psychological response to COVID-19 vaccine from higher secondary students was found slightly lower. Side effects and injection anxiety were the psychological barriers associated with school-going students' vaccination decision.