Medical Students’ Attitudes Toward Influenza Vaccination in Turkey After the Pandemic

INTRODUCTION: Annual influenza vaccination is recommended for all healthcare workers, including medical students. This study examined the attitudes of medical students towards seasonal influenza vaccination, their vaccination status/intention, and the possible effects of the end of the pandemic during the first influenza season following the Coranavirüs-19 Disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
METHODS: An online cross-sectional study was conducted at xxx University Faculty of Medicine in October 2023. The questionnaire asked about socio-demographic characteristics, COVID-19 experience, their perceived level of anxiety and knowledge about influenza, and their vaccination/intention to be vaccinated during the pandemic and the 2023/2024 influenza season.
RESULTS: Among 325 participants (mean age: 21.8 years; 53.5% female), 55.7% reported very low or low concern about contracting the influenza. Knowledge about the influenza vaccine was reported as none (7.7%), very little (23.4%), or some (46.8%), with the internet/social media being the most common information source (36.9%). Only 2.5% had been vaccinated against influenza, and 9.8% considered vaccination. During the pandemic, 7.4% received the influenza vaccine, while 19.1% reported decreased willingness to vaccinate post-pandemic. Notably, 58.3% of students vaccinated during the pandemic either did not get vaccinated or consider vaccination afterward (p<0.05). The most cited reason for avoiding vaccination was the perception of influenza as a non-serious illness (37.9%). Higher vaccination rates were associated with greater family income and higher influenza -related concern.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The findings show that the rate of influenza vaccination is low and that the end of the COVID-19 pandemic has a negative impact on vaccination.

Keywords: influenza vaccination, COVID-19, pandemic, medical students