Do sources of health information regarding COVID-19 differ among vaccinated and unvaccinated nursing students?

Abstract

Background: Vaccine hesitancy among nurses can contribute to patient hesitancy about the need for and safety of COVID-19 vaccination. Understanding and addressing vaccine hesitancy among nurses is a critical public health issue. Purpose: The current study aims to identify factors related to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among nursing students attending the University of Michigan-Flint. Methods: Secondary data analysis was conducted using an online survey distributed to nursing students. A total of two hundred and thirty surveys were received, but after removing incomplete surveys, the final sample size was (n = 194). Descriptive statistics were conducted and analyzed to identify the relationship between COVID-19 vaccination and reported sources of health information. Results: In this study, 87% of nursing students were vaccinated, and 12% were not. Unvaccinated nursing students (UNS) were older with a mean age of 40 vs 35 ( p < .001). The majority of UNS identified as having an “other” political affiliation compared to 41% of vaccinated nursing students who identified as Democrat/Liberal (33%) (p <.001). Vaccinated (73.4%) and unvaccinated (62.5%) nursing students both reported the CDC as their primary source of health information regarding COVID-19. Yet, a much larger percent of vaccinated nursing students (89.3% vs 58.3%) agreed/strongly agreed the CDC was a source of creditable and accurate health information (p < .001). Implications: To address vaccine hesitancy among nursing students, socio-demographic factors such as political affiliation and trust in governmental agencies need to be addressed.