Factors Influencing the Acceptance of COVID-19 Booster Dose in Malaysia

Abstract

Background: This cross-sectional study aimed to identify factors influencing the acceptance of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) booster dose in Malaysia based on the health belief model during 2022. Methods: Malaysians aged 18 and above were enrolled in a cross-sectional online survey. The convenient sampling method was used for data collection, and Google form was employed as an online questionnaire, which was distributed through social media by the authors. The sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents were assessed and summarized by performing descriptive and frequency analyses. Multivariate analysis was applied to measure the associations of factors influencing the acceptance of COVID-19 booster dose among respondents in Malaysia. Results: A total of 467 responses were analyzed in this study. Participants with neutral perceptions who think that it is easy for them to get the COVID-19 vaccine if they wanted to were 0.042 times less likely to accept COVID-19 booster dose compared to others (95% CI of 0.003- 0.556 which was significant with P<0.05 (P=0.016). Moreover, the participants were 0.012 times more likely to be females by neutral on that it is easy for you to get the COVID-19 vaccine if you wanted to with a 95% CI of 2.166-461.040, which is significant. Conclusion: The need for continued access to research and learning has never been more important, especially when it comes to a constantly mutating coronavirus. We also continue to work directly with agencies to support their work.