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Digital health literacy for COVID-19 vaccination and intention to be immunized: A cross sectional multi-country study among the general adult population

Marzo RR 1 , Su TT 2 , Ismail R 3 , Htay MNN 4 , Essar MY 5 , Chauhan S 6 Show all authors , Patalinghug ME 7 , Kucuk Bicer B 8 , Respati T 9 , Fitriyana S 9 , Baniissa W 10 , Lotfizadeh M 11 , Rahman F 12 , Salim ZR 13 , Villela EFM 14 , Jermsittiparsert K 15 , Aung Y 16 , Hamza NAE 17 , Heidler P 18 , Head MG 19 , Brackstone K 19 , Lin Y 20

Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Community Medicine, International Medical School, Management and Science University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 2 Global Public Health, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Malaysia
  • 3 South East Asia Community Observatory, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Malaysia
  • 4 Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia, Melaka, Malaysia
  • 5 Department of Dentistry, Kabul University of Medical Sciences, Kabul, Afghanistan
  • 6 Department of Family and Generations, International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, India
  • 7 School of Criminal Justice Education, J. H. Cerilles State College, Caridad, Philippines
  • 8 Department of Medical Education and Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey
  • 9 Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Islam Bandung, Bandung, Indonesia
  • 10 College of Health Sciences/Nursing Department, Sharjah Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
  • 11 Department of Community Health, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
  • 12 Administration and Research, Bangladesh National Nutrition Council, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • 13 College of Business Administration, International University of Business Agriculture and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • 14 Public Policies, Education and Communication, Disease Control Coordination, São Paulo State Health Department, São Paulo, Brazil
  • 15 Faculty of Education, University of City Island, Famagusta, Cyprus
  • 16 Medical Statistics Division, Department of Medical Research, Ministry of Health, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar
  • 17 Medical Agency for Research and Statistics, Giza, Egypt
  • 18 Department for Economy and Health, University for Continuing Education Krems, Danube University Krems, Krems an der Donau, Austria
  • 19 Clinical Informatics Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
  • 20 Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
Front Public Health, 2022;10:998234.
PMID: 36187686 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.998234

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: It is clear that medical science has advanced much in the past few decades with the development of vaccines and this is even true for the novel coronavirus outbreak. By late 2020, COVID-19 vaccines were starting to be approved by national and global regulators, and across 2021, there was a global rollout of several vaccines. Despite rolling out vaccination programs successfully, there has been a cause of concern regarding uptake of vaccine due to vaccine hesitancy. In tackling the vaccine hesitancy and improving the overall vaccination rates, digital health literacy (DHL) could play a major role. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the digital health literacy and its relevance to the COVID-19 vaccination.

METHODS: An internet-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from April to August 2021 using convenience sampling among people from different countries. Participants were asked about their level of intention to the COVID-19 vaccine. Participants completed the Digital Health Literacy Instrument (DHLI), which was adapted in the context of the COVID Health Literacy Network. Cross-tabulation and logistic regression were used for analysis purpose.

RESULTS: Overall, the mean DHL score was 35.1 (SD = 6.9, Range = 12-48). The mean DHL score for those who answered "Yes" for "support for national vaccination schedule" was 36.1 (SD 6.7) compared to 32.5 (SD 6.8) for those who either answered "No" or "Don't know". Factors including country, place of residence, education, employment, and income were associated with the intention for vaccination. Odds of vaccine intention were higher in urban respondents (OR-1.46; C.I.-1.30-1.64) than in rural respondents. Further, higher competency in assessing the relevance of online information resulted in significantly higher intention for vaccine uptake.

CONCLUSION: Priority should be given to improving DHL and vaccination awareness programs targeting rural areas, lower education level, lower income, and unemployed groups.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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