ปัจจัยทำนายความตั้งใจในการฉีดวัคซีนโควิด-19 ของผู้สูงอายุที่ยังไม่เคยฉีดวัคซีนในภาคใต้ของประเทศไทย

Abstract

COVID-19 is a respiratory infectious disease that has impacted global public health. Preventing infection is a proactive measure to reduce the severity and mortality rate of the disease, especially among older adults, who are at higher risk of infection and death compared to other groups. The COVID-19 vaccine is an essential tool in preventing COVID-19. Using the Health Belief Model framework, this predictive correlational research aims to 1) determine the intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine among unvaccinated older adults and 2) identify factors predicting the intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine among them. These factors include perceived susceptibility to COVID-19, perceived seriousness of COVID-19, perceived benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine, perceived barriers to receiving the vaccine, recommendations from medical personnel, and advice from close individuals. Participants included 120 older adults who had not received a COVID-19 vaccination in Koh Samui District, Surat Thani Province. They were selected through convenience and snowball sampling. Data was collected between April and October 2023 and analyzed using logistic regression analysis. Results demonstrated that: 1. The mean intention to be vaccinated against COVID-19 of unvaccinated older adults in this study was 3.45 (S.D. = 3.07), ranging from 0 to 9. 2. Perceived susceptibility to COVID-19, perceived seriousness of COVID-19, perceived benefits of COVID-19 vaccines, perceived barriers to COVID-19 vaccination, received recommendations from health care providers, and advice from close individuals collectively predicted the intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by 22% (Nagelkerke’s R2 = 0.22), χ2 (1, N = 120) = 20.17 (p < 0.01). The Wald Test analysis indicated that perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 significantly predicted the intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The older adults increased perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 was significantly associated with an increased possibility of COVID-19 vaccination intention among older adults (OR = 1.65, 95% CI = 1.22-2.22). Findings from this study provide nurses, medical personnel, and public health policymakers with guidelines for designing services and strategies to encourage older adults who have not yet been vaccinated to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in order to reduce infection rates and mortality among older adults.