How anxiety attributed to COVID-19, disease knowledge, and intention to vaccinate against SARS-CoV-2 viral infection prevail in general public of Saudi Arabia?

AimThe study aimed to document the anxiety attributed to COVID-19, disease knowledge, and intention to vaccinate against the disease in general public. Moreover, the interplay among these three outcomes was also investigated. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted for 2 months in three cities of Dammam Region of Saudi Arabia. The target segment was the adult population of Saudi Arabia. Convenience sampling was used and all adults aged >= 18 were invited to participate. The questionnaire used in the study was available in both Arabic and English languages. It included a demographic section, a section dedicated to vaccination intention and, a section containing coronavirus anxiety scale (CAS). The data analysis was carried out using IBM SPSS version 23. The study was approved by an ethics committee (IRB-2021-05-297). ResultsA total of 542 responses were analyzed. Most respondents had no anxiety attributed to COVID-19 (92.1%), self-reported good knowledge of COVID-19 (79.7%) and intended to administer a vaccine (57.4%). Age groups 18-29 years and 30-45 years, and having a chronic medical condition, were found to be determinants of having COVID-19 anxiety (p < 0.05). The variables of self-rated good knowledge of disease, never contracted COVID-19, and incomes of SAR 5,000 (i.e., USD 1333), and SAR 7,500-10,000 (i.e., USD 1999.5-2666), were found to be determinants of having positive intention toward vaccination (p < 0.05). ConclusionThe anxiety due to COVID-19 was present in a few participants. Besides, self-reported knowledge about COVID-19 and intention to administer a vaccine, were positively linked to each other. However, both variables had no effect on COVID-19 anxiety. It is important to review and address the determinants of positive intention to further increase vaccine acceptance rate.

Automated summary

This study aimed to investigate the anxiety level, disease knowledge, and intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 in the general public. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Saudi Arabia, involving 542 adult participants. The results showed that most participants had no anxiety attributed to COVID-19, good knowledge of the disease, and intended to administer a vaccine. Age groups, chronic medical conditions, self-rated knowledge, and income were found to be determinants of anxiety and vaccination intention.