Sağlık Bilimleri Fakültesi Öğrencilerinde COVID-19 Aşı Okuryazarlığı, Aşıya Yönelik Tutumlar ve İlgili Faktörler

Abstract

Amaç: Bu çalışmada sağlık bilimleri öğrencileri arasında COVID-19 aşı okuryazarlığı, tutumları ve ilişkili faktörlerin belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Yöntem: Bu tanımlayıcı kesitsel çalışma, Şubat-Nisan 2022 tarihleri arasında Sağlık Bilimleri Fakültesi’nden 608 öğrenci ile yürütülmüştür. Veriler çevrimiçi olarak, Sosyodemografik Özellikler Anketi, COVID-19 Aşı Okuryazarlığı Ölçeği ve COVID-19 Aşısına Yönelik Tutumlar Ölçeği kullanılarak toplanmıştır. Verilerin analizinde tanımlayıcı istatistikler, Bağımsız Örneklem t-testi, tek yönlü ANOVA ve pearson korelasyon testi kullanılmış, istatistiksel anlamlılık düzeyi p<.05 olarak kabul edilmiştir. Bulgular: Aşı okuryazarlığı toplam puan ortalaması 32.12±5.90 bulunmuştur. Olumlu tutum alt boyut puan ortalaması 14.45±3.92, olumsuz tutum alt boyut puan ortalaması ise 17.94±3.73’tür. Aşı okuryazarlığı toplam puanı, sosyal medya bilgilerinin doğruluğunu kontrol eden öğrencilerde daha yüksek bulunmuştur (p<.001). Fizyoterapi öğrencileri ve sosyal medyadan etkilenmeyenler fonksiyonel aşı okuryazarlığından (p<.05), kronik hastalığı olan (p<.05) ve sosyal medya bilgilerinin doğruluğunu kontrol edenler (p<.001) ise iletişimsel/eleştirel aşı okuryazarlığından daha yüksek puan almıştır. Kadın (p<.05), yaşça küçük (p<.001), kronik hastalığı olan (p<.05), dört doz aşı yaptıran (p<.001), yan etkilere inanmayan (p<.001), aşının pandemiyi sona erdireceğine inanan (p<.001) ve sosyal medyaki bilgilerin doğruluğunu kontrol eden (p<.05) öğrencilerin COVID-19 aşısına yönelik olumlu tutum puanının daha yüksek olduğu bulunmuştur. Toplam ve iletişimsel/eleştirel aşı okuryazarlığı ile aşı tutumları arasında pozitif fakat zayıf bir korelasyon bulunmuştur (p<.05). Sonuç: Öğrencilerin COVID-19 aşı okuryazarlığı orta düzeyde bulunmuş ve genel olarak COVID-19 aşısına yönelik tutumlarının olumlu olduğu belirlenmiştir. Aşı okuryazarlığının artması, aşıya karşı daha olumlu tutumlarla ilişkili bulunmuştur.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• sağlık bilimleri öğrencileri
• aşı okuryazarlığı
• aşı tutumları

COVID-19 Vaccine Literacy, Attitudes Towards Vaccine, and Related Factors Among Health Sciences Faculty Students

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to determine COVID-19 vaccine literacy, attitudes, and related factors among health sciences students. Method: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 608 students from the Faculty of Health Sciences between February-April 2022. Data were collected online using the Sociodemographic Characteristics Questionnaire, the COVID-19 Vaccine Literacy Scale, and the Attitudes Towards the COVID-19 Vaccine Scale. Descriptive statistics, Independent Samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, and pearson correlation were used, with statistical significance set at p<.05. Results: The mean total score of vaccine literacy was 32.12±5.90. Positive and negative attitude subscales were 14.45±3.92 and 17.94±3.73, respectively. Total score of vaccine literacy was higher in students who checked the accuracy of information on social media (p<.001). Physical therapy students and those not influenced by social media scored higher on the functional subscale (p<.05), while with chronic diseases (p<.05) and those who checked the accuracy of information on social media (p<.001) scored higher on the communicative/critical subscale. Positive attitude scores were higher among females (p<.05), younger students (p<.001), those with chronic diseases (p<.05), students who had received four vaccine doses (p<.001), those who did not believe in side effects (p<.001), those who believed that vaccination would end the pandemic (p<.001), and students who checked the accuracy of information on social media (p<.05). Total and communicative/critical vaccine literacy showed a weak positive correlation with attitudes (p<.05). Conclusion: Students’ COVID-19 vaccine

Keywords

• COVID-19
• health sciences students
• vaccine literacy
• vaccine attitudes

Ethical Statement

Marmara University Faculty of Health Sciences Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee Decision Date: 27.01.2022, Decision Number: 27.01.2022/03

References

1. Abuhammad, S., Khabour, O. F., Alzoubi, K. H., Hamaideh, S., Alzoubi, B. A., Telfah, W. S., & El-zubi, F. K. (2022). The public’s attitude to and acceptance of periodic doses of the COVID-19 vaccine: A survey from Jordan. PLoS ONE, 17(7), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0271625
2. Akman Dömbekci, H. A., & Güzel, Ş. (2023). Sağlık bilimleri fakültesi öğrencilerinin aşı okuryazarlık düzeylerinin aşı tereddütüne etkisi. EKEV Akademi Dergisi, 93(1), 272-282. https://doi.org/10.17753/sosekev.1226955
3. Alshehry, A. S., Cruz, J. P., Alquwez, N., Alsharari, A. F., Tork, H. M. M., Almazan, J. U., … Balay-Odao, E. (2022). Predictors of nursing students’ intention to receive COVID-19 vaccination: A multi-university study in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 78(2), 446-457. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15002
4. Arabacı, Z., & Ulaş Karaahmetoğlu, G. (2024). COVID-19 perceptions, avoidance and vaccine attitudes of nursing students: Case of Türkiye. Etkili Hemşirelik Dergisi, 17(1), 111-122. https://doi.org/10.46483/deuhfed.1104030
5. Badua, A. R., Caraquel, K. J., Cruz, M., & Narvaez, R. A. (2022). Vaccine literacy: A concept analysis. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 31(4), 857-867. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.12988
6. Bai, W., Cai, H., Liu, S., Liu, H., Qi, H., Chen, X., … Xiang, Y. (2021). Attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines in Chinese college students. International Journal of Biological Sciences, 17(6), 1469-1475. https://doi.org/10.7150/ijbs.58835
7. Başkaya, E., & Kaya, Ç. (2023). Bireylerin aşılara yönelik tutumları üzerine COVID-19 korkusunun etkisi. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Hemşirelik Fakültesi Elektronik Dergisi, 16(1), 27-38. https://doi.org/10.46483/deuhfed.1013479
8. Biasio, L. R., Bonaccorsi, G., Lorini, C., & Pecorelli, S. (2021). Assessing COVID-19 vaccine literacy: A preliminary online survey. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 17(5), 1304-1312. https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2020.1829315

9. Biasio, L. R., Zanobini, P., Lorini, C., & Bonaccorsi, G. (2024). Perspectives in the development of tools to assess vaccine literacy. Vaccines, 12(4), 1-29. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12040422
10. Callaway, E. (2020). The race for coronavirus vaccines: A graphical guide. Nature, 580(7805), 576-577. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-01221-y
11. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2025). Benefits of getting vaccinated. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/covid/vaccines/benefits.html
12. Durmuş, A., Akbolat, M., & Amarat, M. (2021). COVID-19 Aşı Okuryazarlığı Ölçeği’nin Türkçe geçerlilik ve güvenirliliği. Çukurova Tıp Dergisi, 46(2), 732-741. https://doi.org/10.17826/cumj.870432
13. Durmuş Iskender, M., Eren, H., & Durmuş, A. (2023). The effect of COVID-19 vaccine literacy on attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccine among university students. Health Information and Libraries Journal, 40(3), 307-318. https://doi.org/10.1111/hir.12489
14. Elmaoğlu, E., Sungur, M., Çelik, M., & Öztürk Çopur, E. (2021). Bireylerde COVID-19 aşısına yönelik tutum ile COVID-19 kontrolü algısı arasındaki ilişki. Toplum ve Sosyal Hizmet, 1(COVID-19 Special Issue), 337-353. https://doi.org/10.33417/tsh.978616
15. Geniş, B., Gürhan, N., Koç, M., Geniş, Ç., Şirin, B., Çırakoğlu, O. C., & Coşar, B. (2020). Development of perception and attitude scales related with COVID-19 pandemia. Pearson Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 5(7), 306-328. https://doi.org/10.46872/pj.127
16. Goodyear, V. A., Armour, K. M., & Wood, H. (2019). Young people and their engagement with health-related social media: New perspectives. Sport, Education and Society, 24(7), 673-688. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2017.1423464
17. Gürbüz, S., & Aydın, B. O. (2023). The mediating role of social media news confirmation/trust in the effect of COVID-19 vaccine literacy on attitudes towards vaccination. Gümüşhane Üniversitesi İletişim Fakültesi Elektronik Dergisi, 11(2), 1286-1316.
18. Hurley, L. P., Kurlandsky, K., Breslin, K., Stein, A., Hambidge, S. J., Shoup, J. A., … Williams, J. T. B. (2025). Attitudes and beliefs regarding COVID-19 and COVID-19 Omicron booster vaccine among adults in the Vaccine Safety Datalink, 2022-2023. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 21(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2025.2467548
19. Ishikawa, H., Takeuchi, T., & Yano, E. (2008). Measuring functional, communicative, and critical health literacy among diabetic patients. Diabetes Care, 31(5), 874-879. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc07-1932
20. Jayawardana, S., Esquivel, M., Orešković, T., & Mossialos, E. (2024). Gender differences in COVID-19 preventative measures and vaccination rates in the United States: A longitudinal survey analysis. Vaccine, 42(23), 4012-4018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.06.012
21. Karagöz, Y., Yalman, F., & Karaşin, Y. (2022). Covid-19’a yönelik komplo teorilerinin aşı tereddüdüne etkisi: Aşı tutumunun aracı rolü. Çağ Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 19(2), 19-31.
22. Kawuki, J., Chen, S., Fang, Y., Liang, X., Chan, P. S.-f., & Wang, Z. (2023). COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, attitude and perception among slum and underserved communities: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Vaccines, 11(5), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11050886
23. Korkut, S., Ülker, T., & Çidem, A. (2022). COVID-19 aşı okuryazarlığı ve COVID-19 aşısına yönelik tutumları etkileyen faktörler. Gümüşhane Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi, 11(3), 1041-1050. https://doi.org/10.37989/gumussagbil.1051425
24. Kranzler, E. C., Luchman, J. N., Margolis, K. A., Ihongbe, T. O., Kim, J.-E. C., Denison, B., … Hoffman, L. (2024). Association between vaccination beliefs and COVID-19 vaccine uptake in a longitudinal panel survey of adults in the United States, 2021-2022. Vaccine X, 17(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvacx.2024.100458
25. Lacob, C. I., Ionescu, D., Avram, E., & Cojocaru, D. (2021). COVID-19 pandemic worry and vaccination intention: The mediating role of the health belief model components. Frontiers in Psychology, 12(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.674018
26. Leelacharas, S., Maneesriwongul, W., Butsing, N., Kittipimpanon, K., & Visudtibhan, P. J. (2024). Acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination and vaccine hesitancy among people with chronic diseases in Thailand: Role of attitudes and vaccine literacy towards future implications. Patient Preference and Adherence, 18(1), 1815-1828. https://doi.org/10.2147/PPA.S462014
27. Loomba, S., de Figueiredo, A., Piatek, S. J., de Graaf, K., & Larson, H. J. (2021). Measuring the impact of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation on vaccination intent in the UK and USA. Nature Human Behaviour, 5(3), 337-348. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01056-1
28. Mondal, P., Sinharoy, A., & Su, L. (2021). Sociodemographic predictors of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance: A nationwide US-based survey study. Public Health, 198(1), 252-259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2021.07.028
29. Ramot, S., & Tal, O. (2022). Attitudes of healthcare workers and members of the public toward the COVID-19 vaccine: A cross-sectional survey. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 18(6), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2022.2124782
30. Riad, A., Bahavan, B., & Koščik, M. (2025). From institutional trust to digital literacy: Socioeconomic and political determinants of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Czech adults based on a national panel survey. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 21(1), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2025.2533639
31. Skafle, I., Nordahl-Hansen, A., Quintana, D. S., Wynn, R., & Gabarron, E. (2022). Misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines on social media: Rapid review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 24(8), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.2196/37367
32. Sönmez Sarı, E., & Kırbaş, Z. Ö. (2023). Üniversite öğrencilerinde COVID-19 aşı okuryazarlığı ve aşı karşıtlığı. Bandırma Onyedi Eylül Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri ve Araştırmaları Dergisi, 5(2), 141-150. https://doi.org/10.46413/boneyusbad.1274199
33. Torun, G., Ar, I., Akgenç, F., & Karahan, A. (2025). The mediating effect of e-health literacy on health belief model-based vaccine attitudes among parents in Türkiye: A cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health, 25(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23135-y
34. Venkataraman, R., Yadav, U., Shrestha, Y., Narayanaswamy, S., & Basavaraju, S. H. P. (2023). Knowledge and attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine among India's general rural population. Vacunas, 24(2), 128-134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vacun.2022.11.002
35. World Health Organization (WHO). (2019). Ten threats to global health in 2019. WHO. https://www.who.int/news-room/spotlight/ten-threats-to-global-health-in-2019
36. World Health Organization (WHO). (2020). WHO issues its first emergency use validation for a COVID-19 vaccine and emphasizes need for equitable global access. WHO. https://www.who.int/news/item/31-12-2020-who-issues-its-first-emergency-use-validation-for-a-covid-19-vaccine-and-emphasizes-need-for-equitable-global-access
37. World Health Organization (WHO). (2021). Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): How is it transmitted? WHO. https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/coronavirus-disease-covid-19-how-is-it-transmitted
38. World Health Organization (WHO). (2024). Vaccines and immunization: What is vaccination? WHO. https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/vaccines-and-immunization-what-is-vaccination
39. World Health Organization (WHO). (2025a). Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). WHO. https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_1
40. World Health Organization. (2025b). COVID-19 cases, world. WHO. https://data.who.int/dashboards/covid19/cases?n=o
41. Xie, Z., Qalati, S. A., Limón, M. L. S., Sulaiman, M. A. B. A., & Qureshi, N. A. (2023). Understanding factors influencing healthcare workers' intention towards the COVID-19 vaccine. PLoS One, 18(7), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0286794
42. Yıldırım Gökşen, D. F., Uludağ, E., & Özkan, S. (2023). Türkiye’de hemşirelik öğrencilerinde COVID-19 aşı okuryazarlığı ile sosyodemografik özelliklerin aşı tutumlarına etkisi. Etkili Hemşirelik Dergisi, 16(3), 373-382. https://doi.org/10.46483/jnef.1327413
43. Zhang, E., Dai, Z., Wang, S., Wang, X., Zhang, X., & Fang, Q. (2023). Vaccine literacy and vaccination: A systematic review. International Journal of Public Health, 68(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.3389/ijph.2023.1605606
44. Zhang, Q., Zhang, R., Wu, W., Liu, Y., & Zhou, Y. (2023). Impact of social media news on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and vaccination behavior. Telematics and Informatics, 80(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2023.101983