Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Klimik Dergisi, cilt.37, sa.2, ss.97-103, 2024 (ESCI)
Objective: This study aimed to investigate COVID-19 vaccine preferences among university students using a discrete choice experiment. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among university students. A questionnaire containing participants’ sociodemographic characteristics and hypothetical COVID-19 vaccine choice sets was used. The mixed logit model was used to estimate students’ preferences for different levels of vaccine attributes. Simulations of vaccine acceptance rates were calculated. Results: A total of 242 students participated in the study. 24.1% of the participants had a previous COVID-19 infection. 97.4% of the students had received a COVID-19 vaccine. Almost all of those who were vaccinated received two doses or more. 81.8% of them received the mRNA vaccine. The most frequent reasons for accepting vaccination were infection prevention and the belief that getting vaccinated is a societal responsibility to end the pandemic. 70.3% of the students agreed that COVID-19 vaccines were safe, while 89.2% agreed that vaccination contributed to herd immu-nity. According to the mixed logit model results, the most preferred attribute of the vaccine was effectiveness. Other attributes also affected the preferences of students in the following order of priority: frequency of severe side effects, reduction in transmission, duration of protection, origin, and type of the vaccine. Conclusion: These findings can guide low-risk groups to accept vaccination during a pandemic. In pandemic control, the importance of community participation and sharing up-to-date information on approaches to fighting pandemics, such as vaccines, should be prioritized.