Influenza Vaccination of Romanian Medical Students during COVID-19 Times: From Knowledge to Behavior.

ABSTRACT

In Romania, influenza vaccination uptake among healthcare workers decreased over time despite access to the vaccine being constantly improved. The aim of this paper is to provide a comparative analysis of the knowledge and attitudes of Dental Medicine and Medicine students towards recommended vaccinations for healthcare workers, focusing on influenza vaccination. A cross-sectional study was conducted during the entire 2021-2022 academic year. Data were collected using 2 electronic questionnaires which were applied to the students from the Faculty of Medicine (n = 883) and, respectively, the Faculty of Dental Medicine of the Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania. The questionnaires were offered to 1187 students and completed by 911 students (response rate = 77%). Out of these, 85% (n = 778) identified the influenza vaccine as recommended; 35% (n = 321) reported getting an annual influenza vaccination; and 37% (333) reported getting an influenza vaccination in the previous season. Overall, 45% (n = 222) of the respondents who completed the questionnaires from October 2021 to February 2022 reported that they intend to get vaccinated against influenza in the 2021-2022 season and approximately 8% (n = 39) reported that they had already been vaccinated. The multivariable analysis showed that the habit of getting annually vaccinated against influenza as well as the knowledge that influenza vaccine is recommended for all healthcare workers were associated with a higher probability of intending to get vaccinated. The current study emphasizes the need to raise awareness among medical students regarding influenza vaccination and to involve medical education institutions, public health authorities, and healthcare facilities in promoting this vaccination among students since the influenza vaccine uptake rate among medical students included in this study was suboptimal.