Background: Influenza is an acute viral infection of the upper or lower respiratory tract that is manifest by fever, chills, and a generalized feeling of muscle weakness and pain. Fortunately, the hospitalization rate for influenza-affected college students is low. Still, the main issues are the effects of the illness on their academic performance, class attendance, increased antibiotic use, and health care services. We aimed to assess the attitude, knowledge, and barriers of medical students at Qassim University regarding the seasonal influenza vaccine.
Methods: An online survey was carried out targeting all medical students in Qassim University, Qassim, Saudi Arabia, involving 232 responders.
Results: Among the 232 medical students who responded to our survey, we found a high knowledge and attitude score (r = 0.510), indicating that the increase in the knowledge score is associated with a rise in the score of attitudes. Half of the students (50%) received the seasonal influenza vaccine despite the barriers. Of those who did not receive the vaccine (n = 116), the most common reason was “influenza is simple,” “no need to vaccinate” (49.1%).
Conclusion: The overall level of knowledge about the seasonal influenza vaccination was sufficient, with a higher association between the level of knowledge and the academic year and gender. We also established a positive association between knowledge and attitude scores. Half of our sample haven’t received the influenza vaccine in their life. For future research, we suggest studying the relationship between gender and the knowledge and attitude toward the vaccine.
Key words: Influenza vaccine, Qassim region, medical student, Saudi Arabia.
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