Knowledge, Perception, and Intention to Promote Malaria Vaccination Among Students in Southwestern Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Study.
- 1Department of Health Promotion and Education College of Medicine, University of Ibadan Ibadan Nigeria.
- 2Department of Research and Innovation Research and Training Unit, MacWish College of Health and Allied Sciences Mwanza Tanzania.
- 3Centre for Reforms, Innovation, Health Policies and Implementation Research Dodoma Tanzania.
Abstract
Introduction
Malaria remains a major public health burden in Nigeria, and the introduction of malaria vaccines offers a promising strategy for reducing morbidity and mortality. This study assessed knowledge, perception, and intention to promote malaria vaccination among health technology students in Southwestern Nigeria.Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted from November to December 2025 among 300 students using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, Spearman's correlation with approximate 95% confidence intervals, and HC3 robust multiple linear regression. Chi-square analyses of socio-demographic factors and intention were not interpreted because sparse cells violated test assumptions.Results
Most respondents demonstrated moderate (50.3%) to good (40.7%) knowledge of the malaria vaccine. A positive overall perception score-reflecting both supportive attitudes toward vaccination and awareness of implementation-related concerns-was observed in 63.7% of participants, while 81.3% showed high intention to educate and recommend vaccination. Median scores were 14.0/20.0 for knowledge, 34.0/40.0 for perception, and 39.0/40.0 for intention. Perception was strongly associated with intention (rho = 0.553, 95% CI 0.469-0.627, p < 0.001), whereas knowledge was not significantly associated with intention (rho = -0.095, p = 0.101). In robust regression, perception remained independently and strongly associated with intention (B = 0.455, 95% CI 0.371-0.539, p < 0.001).Conclusion
While knowledge of malaria vaccination was moderate to good among health technology students, perception was more strongly related to intention to promote vaccination. Addressing misconceptions while strengthening accurate and context-sensitive vaccine communication is essential for improving future vaccine promotion.
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BibTeX
@article{odubia2026knowledge,
title = {{Knowledge, Perception, and Intention to Promote Malaria Vaccination Among Students in Southwestern Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Study.}},
author = {James Success Odubia and Majani Edward},
journal = {Health science reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/hsr2.73290},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42898762},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Knowledge, Perception, and Intention to Promote Malaria Vaccination Among Students in Southwestern Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Study.
AU - James Success Odubia
AU - Majani Edward
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/18
JO - Health science reports
DO - 10.1002/hsr2.73290
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42898762
AB - Introduction Malaria remains a major public health burden in Nigeria, and the introduction of malaria vaccines offers a promising strategy for reducing morbidity and mortality. This study assessed knowledge, perception, and intention to promote malaria vaccination among health technology students in Southwestern Nigeria.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from November to December 2025 among 300 students using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, Spearman's correlation with approximate 95% confidence intervals, and HC3 robust multiple linear regression. Chi-square analyses of socio-demographic factors and intention were not interpreted because sparse cells violated test assumptions.Results Most respondents demonstrated moderate (50.3%) to good (40.7%) knowledge of the malaria vaccine. A positive overall perception score-reflecting both supportive attitudes toward vaccination and awareness of implementation-related concerns-was observed in 63.7% of participants, while 81.3% showed high intention to educate and recommend vaccination. Median scores were 14.0/20.0 for knowledge, 34.0/40.0 for perception, and 39.0/40.0 for intention. Perception was strongly associated with intention (rho = 0.553, 95% CI 0.469-0.627, p < 0.001), whereas knowledge was not significantly associated with intention (rho = -0.095, p = 0.101). In robust regression, perception remained independently and strongly associated with intention (B = 0.455, 95% CI 0.371-0.539, p < 0.001).Conclusion While knowledge of malaria vaccination was moderate to good among health technology students, perception was more strongly related to intention to promote vaccination. Addressing misconceptions while strengthening accurate and context-sensitive vaccine communication is essential for improving future vaccine promotion.
SN - 2398-8835
ER -