Determinants of Public Acceptance of Testing and COVID-19 Vaccines in Cameroon: A Cross Sectional Study
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Teh Exodus Akwa 1 * , Ngyapi Eric Ngyah 2
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1 School of Pure and Applied Sciences, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya2 Royal Bilingual College, Douala, Cameroon* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 disease still remains a nightmare in Cameroon. With the current vaccines present for its management, public acceptance of the vaccine is very significant. Understanding the determinants of COVID-19 testing and vaccine acceptance by the public is thus vital. This study aimed at exploring the determinants of acceptance of COVID-19 testing and vaccine by the population of Cameroon.
Methods: The study involved a three-month (September-December 2021) cross-sectional online survey, done with the use of a well-structured questionnaire administered through emails, WhatsApp and Facebook among the general population of Cameroon. The questionnaire focused mainly on determinants of COVID-19 disease testing and vaccine acceptance. A multivariate logistic regression model was incorporated to establish the determinant factors. Odds ratio with 95% CI was calculated to evaluate the strength and significance of these association.
Results: The study involved 1,750 participants spread amongst different sociodemographic groups. Using the multivariate logistic regression analysis, strong associations with vaccine acceptance were; high knowledge of COVID-19 infection (aOR=2.54, 95% CI: 2.16-2.99), high knowledge of COVID-19 vaccine (aOR=2.67, 95% CI: 1.75-4.18), and perception of vaccine benefit (aOR=1.91, 95%CI: 1.07-3.42). Trust in the government also significantly positively affected vaccine acceptance. Respondents high in government trust had higher percentage points acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine compared with those having low level of trust (aOR=2.68, 95% CI: 1.72-4.18).

Conclusions: The low acceptance level of COVID-19 vaccine in Cameroon is driven by multiple factors. Findings from this study might help guide future efforts for policy makers and stakeholders to improve the COVID-19 vaccination rate in Cameroon.

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Original Article

ELECTR J MED ED TE, Volume 15, Issue 2, June 2022, Article No: em2206

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmets/11890

Publication date: 10 Mar 2022

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