Impact of COVID-19 health information sources on student vaccine hesitancy

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine how health care professional and undergraduate students stay informed on COVID-19 and which characteristics influence the decision to receive or recommend a vaccine to focus efforts on addressing misinformation and vaccine hesitancy. METHODS: A 13-item survey was administered to currently enrolled undergraduate and health care students (including nursing, dental, medical, and pharmacy) within the same university. Students were asked to rate their utilization and trust of COVID-19 resources and were asked about the importance and challenges of staying current with COVID-19 information. Student willingness to receive the vaccine was also assessed. RESULTS: The school of pharmacy had the highest percentage of students (88.3%, n = 159) who would receive the vaccine. Only 73.6% (n = 323) of undergraduate students reported they would be willing. Students who were willing to receive the vaccine had higher average scores of trust for scientific journals, school curriculum/coursework, and school communication and utilized these sources for COVID-19 information more than those who would not receive the vaccine and were unsure about receiving the vaccine. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that students who were most trusting of their COVID-19 information sources were more likely to receive the vaccine. Pharmacy students relied heavily on information provided by the school curriculum/coursework, indicating the need for pharmacy faculty to include methods of addressing vaccine hesitancy such as simulation modules and the Pharmacists' Patient Care Process to help students combat vaccine hesitancy and misinformation when communicating with patients.