Perception, Attitudes, and COVID-19 Vaccine Literacy among People in Thailand

Abstract

This descriptive research aimed to study the relationship between perceptions, attitudes, and COVID-19 vaccine literacy among people in Thailand. The samples were between the ages of 18 - 60 years old. The research tools included the patient’s general information, literacy of COVID-19 vaccine information, attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccine information, and perception of COVID-19 vaccine information. The research samples were conveniently selected including 432 patients. Data were collected from December 2021 to January 2022 using an electronic questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and correlation statistics were used to analyze the data and the significance level was set at 0.01. The results showed that the sample group had moderate overall awareness of the COVID-19 vaccine. Attitudes about the overall COVID-19 vaccine were high; and overall knowledge about the COVID-19 vaccine was also high. Assessing the knowledge on different aspects regarding COVID-19 vaccines, it was found that vaccination knowledge, access to health information and services, self-management, media literacy, and decision-making skills were high. Communication skills was at a moderate score. Awareness and attitude toward the COVID-19 vaccine had a positive correlation with vaccine knowledge (p<0.01). The results of the research can be used as guidelines for promoting awareness and knowledge about the COVID-19 vaccine, emphasizing health information communication skills in a language that is accessible and easy to understand. The role of the healthcare team is to provide services in accordance with the needs of the the target group; and to promote health decisions about appropriate COVID-19 vaccination in order to achieve good health outcomes, and to reduce the severity of COVID-19 infection.