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Vaccination Literacy Versus the Willingness and Attitudes to Receiving Vaccination in High School Students of Chennai
Subject area: Biological & Medical Sciences · Area of research: Public Health
Abstract
Vaccine literacy may heavily influence willingness to vaccinate among high school students who experienced the COVID-19 pandemic and are frequent users of social media, where misinformation can spread easily. This study investigated the association between vaccination literacy, attitudes towards vaccination, and willingness to receive future vaccines among 75 high school students from grades 9 to 12 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. A questionnaire-based design was used to assess demographics, vaccination status, vaccination literacy, attitudes and willingness to vaccinate, and sources of information. Pearson’s correlation and knowledge, attitude, and willingness scores were calculated. Univariable and multivariable linear regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with willingness to receive future vaccination. Participants who had received all recommended COVID-19 vaccines and booster doses had significantly higher willingness scores than the rest (β=1.52\beta = 1.52β=1.52, 95% CI: 0.54–2.49, P=0.003P = 0.003P=0.003). Higher knowledge scores were independently associated with greater willingness to receive future vaccination (β=0.413\beta = 0.413β=0.413, 95% CI: 0.105–0.721, P=0.009P = 0.009P=0.009). Positive vaccination attitudes showed a significant correlation with willingness but were not independently associated after adjustment. These findings suggest that age-appropriate, reliable vaccination education involving schools, healthcare professionals, and families may help support informed vaccination decisions among adolescents.
Keywords
Vaccine literacy, Vaccine hesitancy, Knowledge score, Vaccination attitudes, Pearson correlation, Univariable and multivariable linear regression, High school students.
References
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How to cite this paper
@article{1723765,
author = {Darshana Padmakumar},
title = {Vaccination Literacy Versus the Willingness and Attitudes to Receiving Vaccination in High School Students of Chennai},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {10},
number = {4},
pages = {992-1006},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1723765.pdf},
abstract = {Vaccine literacy may heavily influence willingness to vaccinate among high school students who experienced the COVID-19 pandemic and are frequent users of social media, where misinformation can spread easily. This study investigated the association between vaccination literacy, attitudes towards vaccination, and willingness to receive future vaccines among 75 high school students from grades 9 to 12 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. A questionnaire-based design was used to assess demographics, vaccination status, vaccination literacy, attitudes and willingness to vaccinate, and sources of information. Pearson’s correlation and knowledge, attitude, and willingness scores were calculated. Univariable and multivariable linear regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with willingness to receive future vaccination. Participants who had received all recommended COVID-19 vaccines and booster doses had significantly higher willingness scores than the rest (β=1.52\beta = 1.52β=1.52, 95% CI: 0.54–2.49, P=0.003P = 0.003P=0.003). Higher knowledge scores were independently associated with greater willingness to receive future vaccination (β=0.413\beta = 0.413β=0.413, 95% CI: 0.105–0.721, P=0.009P = 0.009P=0.009). Positive vaccination attitudes showed a significant correlation with willingness but were not independently associated after adjustment. These findings suggest that age-appropriate, reliable vaccination education involving schools, healthcare professionals, and families may help support informed vaccination decisions among adolescents.},
keywords = {Vaccine literacy, Vaccine hesitancy, Knowledge score, Vaccination attitudes, Pearson correlation, Univariable and multivariable linear regression, High school students.},
month = {October},
}