Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices, and Socio-Demographic Determinants of Covid-19 Vaccination Uptake Among Secondary Students in Kajiado North Sub County, Kenya

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has exerted profound impacts on health, society, and the economy in Kenya. In an effort to facilitate the safe reopening and efficient operation of schools, the government initiated a vaccination programmeme within secondary schools. However, despite the programmeme's implementation, the uptake has been less than satisfactory. General Objective: This study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to COVID-19 vaccination among secondary school students in Kenya's Kajiado North Sub County. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted involving 246 secondary school students from Kajiado North Sub-County, Kenya. The students were selected from a pool of 3 boarding schools and 2-day schools, employing proportionate random sampling. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire and analysed through frequencies and chi-square tests. Findings: The findings revealed that the 95.3% (n=193) had good knowledge on COVID-19 vaccination; 75.7%(n=153) had positive attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination; and 95.0% (n=193) practiced proactive measures regarding COVID-19 vaccination. The study identified statistically significant association between age of the student and COVID-19 vaccination (p =0.0086); gender and COVID-19 vaccination (p=0.0040), form levels (p = 0.0189 and p = 0.0355), school category (p=0.0451). This significant negative effect indicates that students in day schools are less likely to get vaccinated compared to those in boarding schools. Finally, religion showed no statistically significant relationship with vaccine uptake (p= 0.7589). Conclusion and Recommendation: The study's findings reveal relatively good knowledge, positive attitudes and proactive practices towards COVID-19 vaccination. The findings also indicate that COVID-19 vaccination is age and gender dependent. The study recommends the need for targeted interventions and policy adjustments to further enhance vaccine coverage