Misinformation, perceptions towards COVID-19 and willingness to be vaccinated: A population-based survey in Yemen

<h4>Background</h4> Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, many pharmaceutical companies have been racing to develop a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine. Simultaneously, rumors and misinformation about COVID-19 are still widely spreading. Therefore, this study aimed to investiga...

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Autores principales:	Ahmad Naoras Bitar, Mohammed Zawiah, Fahmi Y. Al-Ashwal, Mohammed Kubas, Ramzi Mukred Saeed, Rami Abduljabbar, Ammar Ali Saleh Jaber, Syed Azhar Syed Sulaiman, Amer Hayat Khan
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2021
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/7e3e5b2606f6497d859b6c90ec24268a
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:7e3e5b2606f6497d859b6c90ec24268a2021-11-04T07:42:09ZMisinformation, perceptions towards COVID-19 and willingness to be vaccinated: A population-based survey in Yemen1932-6203https://doaj.org/article/7e3e5b2606f6497d859b6c90ec24268a2021-01-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8555792/?tool=EBIhttps://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203<h4>Background</h4> Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, many pharmaceutical companies have been racing to develop a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine. Simultaneously, rumors and misinformation about COVID-19 are still widely spreading. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of COVID-19 misinformation among the Yemeni population and its association with vaccine acceptance and perceptions. <h4>Methods</h4> A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in four major cities in Yemen. The constructed questionnaire consisted of four main sections (sociodemographic data, misinformation, perceptions (perceived susceptibility, severity, and worry), and vaccination acceptance evaluation). Subject recruitment and data collection were conducted online utilizing social websites and using the snowball sampling technique. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed using SPSS version 27. <h4>Results</h4> The total number of respondents was 484. Over 60% of them were males and had a university education. More than half had less than 100$ monthly income and were khat chewers, while only 18% were smokers. Misinformation prevalence ranged from 8.9% to 38.9%, depending on the statement being asked. Men, university education, higher income, employment, and living in urban areas were associated with a lower misinformation level (p <0.05). Statistically significant association (p <0.05) between university education, living in urban areas, and being employed with perceived susceptibility were observed. The acceptance rate was 61.2% for free vaccines, but it decreased to 43% if they had to purchase it. Females, respondents with lower monthly income, and those who believed that pharmaceutical companies made the virus for financial gains were more likely to reject the vaccination (p <0.05). <h4>Conclusion</h4> The study revealed that the acceptance rate to take a vaccine was suboptimal and significantly affected by gender, misinformation, cost, and income. Furthermore, being female, non-university educated, low-income, and living in rural areas were associated with higher susceptibility to misinformation about COVID-19. These findings show a clear link between misinformation susceptibility and willingness to vaccinate. Focused awareness campaigns to decrease misinformation and emphasize the vaccination’s safety and efficacy might be fundamental before initiating any mass vaccination in Yemen.Ahmad Naoras BitarMohammed ZawiahFahmi Y. Al-AshwalMohammed KubasRamzi Mukred SaeedRami AbduljabbarAmmar Ali Saleh JaberSyed Azhar Syed SulaimanAmer Hayat KhanPublic Library of Science (PLoS)articleMedicineRScienceQENPLoS ONE, Vol 16, Iss 10 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Ahmad Naoras Bitar Mohammed Zawiah Fahmi Y. Al-Ashwal Mohammed Kubas Ramzi Mukred Saeed Rami Abduljabbar Ammar Ali Saleh Jaber Syed Azhar Syed Sulaiman Amer Hayat Khan Misinformation, perceptions towards COVID-19 and willingness to be vaccinated: A population-based survey in Yemen
description	<h4>Background</h4> Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, many pharmaceutical companies have been racing to develop a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine. Simultaneously, rumors and misinformation about COVID-19 are still widely spreading. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of COVID-19 misinformation among the Yemeni population and its association with vaccine acceptance and perceptions. <h4>Methods</h4> A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in four major cities in Yemen. The constructed questionnaire consisted of four main sections (sociodemographic data, misinformation, perceptions (perceived susceptibility, severity, and worry), and vaccination acceptance evaluation). Subject recruitment and data collection were conducted online utilizing social websites and using the snowball sampling technique. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed using SPSS version 27. <h4>Results</h4> The total number of respondents was 484. Over 60% of them were males and had a university education. More than half had less than 100$ monthly income and were khat chewers, while only 18% were smokers. Misinformation prevalence ranged from 8.9% to 38.9%, depending on the statement being asked. Men, university education, higher income, employment, and living in urban areas were associated with a lower misinformation level (p <0.05). Statistically significant association (p <0.05) between university education, living in urban areas, and being employed with perceived susceptibility were observed. The acceptance rate was 61.2% for free vaccines, but it decreased to 43% if they had to purchase it. Females, respondents with lower monthly income, and those who believed that pharmaceutical companies made the virus for financial gains were more likely to reject the vaccination (p <0.05). <h4>Conclusion</h4> The study revealed that the acceptance rate to take a vaccine was suboptimal and significantly affected by gender, misinformation, cost, and income. Furthermore, being female, non-university educated, low-income, and living in rural areas were associated with higher susceptibility to misinformation about COVID-19. These findings show a clear link between misinformation susceptibility and willingness to vaccinate. Focused awareness campaigns to decrease misinformation and emphasize the vaccination’s safety and efficacy might be fundamental before initiating any mass vaccination in Yemen.
format	article
author	Ahmad Naoras Bitar Mohammed Zawiah Fahmi Y. Al-Ashwal Mohammed Kubas Ramzi Mukred Saeed Rami Abduljabbar Ammar Ali Saleh Jaber Syed Azhar Syed Sulaiman Amer Hayat Khan
author_facet	Ahmad Naoras Bitar Mohammed Zawiah Fahmi Y. Al-Ashwal Mohammed Kubas Ramzi Mukred Saeed Rami Abduljabbar Ammar Ali Saleh Jaber Syed Azhar Syed Sulaiman Amer Hayat Khan
author_sort	Ahmad Naoras Bitar
title	Misinformation, perceptions towards COVID-19 and willingness to be vaccinated: A population-based survey in Yemen
title_short	Misinformation, perceptions towards COVID-19 and willingness to be vaccinated: A population-based survey in Yemen
title_full	Misinformation, perceptions towards COVID-19 and willingness to be vaccinated: A population-based survey in Yemen
title_fullStr	Misinformation, perceptions towards COVID-19 and willingness to be vaccinated: A population-based survey in Yemen
title_full_unstemmed	Misinformation, perceptions towards COVID-19 and willingness to be vaccinated: A population-based survey in Yemen
title_sort	misinformation, perceptions towards covid-19 and willingness to be vaccinated: a population-based survey in yemen
publisher	Public Library of Science (PLoS)
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/7e3e5b2606f6497d859b6c90ec24268a
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Misinformation, perceptions towards COVID-19 and willingness to be vaccinated: A population-based survey in Yemen

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