The impact of the intervention program on students’ knowledge and attitudes towards seasonal influenza vaccine in Iraq

Abstract

Influenza is a serious viral respiratory disease, and vaccination is the primary means of prevention. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention program in improving university students’ knowledge and attitudes regarding the seasonal influenza vaccine. A quasi-experimental design was employed, with convenience sampling of 204 students (102 intervention, 102 control) over a period of six months at Thi-Qar University (TQU) in southern Iraq, across six colleges selected via a simple random lottery. Students’ knowledge and attitudes were measured using a structured educational program, brochures, and pre- and post-tests. Independent- and paired-samples t-tests were used to analyze the data, with a significance level of p < 0.05. At pre-test, 40.2% of the intervention group had low knowledge (M ± SD = 1.68 ± 0.616); at post-test, 55.9% had high knowledge (M ± SD = 1.73 ± 0.448). In terms of attitudes, 73.5% of participants reported positive attitudes after the intervention, while 26.5% reported negative attitudes, a decrease from pre-test, where 60.8% stated that they had negative attitudes. Significant change in knowledge and attitudes in relation to seasonal influenza vaccine following intervention (p < 0.001). A structured educational intervention is an effective strategy to increase university students’ acceptance of flu vaccines in Iraq. University-based influenza vaccination programs are recommended to improve vaccine coverage and reduce influenza-related disease.