Using the Health Belief Model to predict university students' vaccination decisions
Abstract
This cross-sectional study was undertaken to compare university students who received the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccination versus those who did not. The comparison between the immunized and non-immunized students was made in terms of gender, academic year, academic department, nationality, and the six constructs of the Health Belief Model: perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, cues to action, and self efficacy. An email with a hyperlink to an online survey was sent to 4000 university students. The online survey, “Influenza Vaccination Questionnaire,” was based on adapted questions from two earlier surveys. Construct validity was established through expert review of the survey items. Response bias, item clarity, and readability were assessed by review and feedback from 30 individuals. Reading ease and reading grade level were assessed by the Flesch and Flesch-Kincaid tests, respectively. Principal components analysis was used to reduce the items used for further analyses, and to ensure that any survey items used loaded on just one theoretical construct. Backward stepwise logistic regression analyses showed the following variables were significantly related (p < 0.05) to immunization: cues to action, perceived barriers, and perceived benefits. Characteristics of the vaccination played a contributing role in the vaccination decision for college students, while the characteristics of the disease itself did not. This finding has implications for the development and implementation of future vaccination campaigns targeted at specific segments of the population.
Degree
M.P.H.
Advisors
Black, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Public health|Health education
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