Assessment of knowledge and attitude toward influenza vaccinations within the adult population of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: The most cost-effective measure for preventing the infectious disease, influenza, is vaccination. The purpose of this research was to evaluate knowledge levels, familiarity, and attitude toward influenza and influenza vaccination of the Riyadh adult population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out in Riyadh and data was collected between December 2017 and March 2018. Five hundred participants were interviewed in person using a closed-ended questionnaire. Participants comprised the general population, students, and healthcare workers (HCWs), and were recruited from shopping malls, parks, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, and King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz University Hospital. A pilot study was conducted among 15 participants from the general population, students, and HCWs who gave verbal consent. Participants were asked if they comprehended the questionnaire and whether they felt comfortable participating. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the sample. Statistical significance was determined using t-test for quantitative variables and Chi-square test for qualitative variables. RESULTS: Most participants in all groups had poor knowledge. The least informed was the general population (8.8%), followed by the students (11.8%), and the most aware were the HCWs (18.5%). The social media (35%) was the main source of participants’ knowledge, followed by doctors and health educators in hospitals (33%). Only 15.6% of participants had been vaccinated this year. Even fewer (8.8%) stated that they took the vaccination every year. The most important reasons for getting vaccinated were the recommendations by the Ministry of Health or by their doctors (77.8% for each). The key barrier to vaccination was a lack of perceived benefit (the participants did not usually get influenza so they felt vaccination was unnecessary [66.2%]). About 34% of participants reported that they had the children in their families vaccinated. The main reason given was to protect their children from influenza complications (80.6%). CONCLUSION: Within the Riyadh adult population, there was both low compliance to take the influenza vaccinations owing to a lack of perceived benefit and insufficient knowledge of the risks of influenza.