The Impact of Belief System, Anxiety, and Attitude of Healthcare Providers towards Post-COVID-19 Vaccines in Keffi, Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

Post-COVID-19 pandemic disposition of healthcare professionals regarding vaccination is influenced by fear and anxiety, beliefs concerning vaccine safety and side-effects, and confidence in governmental measures. This study examined the belief system, anxiety, and attitude towards post-COVID-19 vaccines among healthcare providers in Keffi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, Nigeria. A total of one hundred and forty (140) randomly selected male and female healthcare workers, comprising twenty-four (24) medical doctors and one hundred and sixteen (116) nurses providing COVID-19 healthcare services in Federal Medical Center, Keffi, Nasarawa State, were used for the study. Three standardized instruments: (the Modified MERS-CoV Health Belief Model Scale-HBMS with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.83, COVID-19 Anxiety Scale-CAS with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of .08, and Attitude towards COVID-19 Scale with Cronbach's Alpha reliability of 0.85) were used for data collection. Statistical analysis involved the use of Pearson Correlation and independent t-test to analyze the data collected at significant level of .05. Findings of first and second hypothesis show that independently belief system (r=0.205**, df=140, p<.0001) and anxiety (r=.308**, df=140, p<.0001) has a statistically significant relationship with the attitude of healthcare workers toward COVID-19 vaccine in Federal Medical Center, Keffi, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. This suggests that socio-cultural factors, including societal values, perceptions, and cultural beliefs, have a significant influence on the healthcare provider's attitude toward the COVID-19 vaccine. Also, worry and fear of COVID-19 side effects increase the level of anxiety and attitude of healthcare providers toward the COVID-19 vaccine. The finding of the third hypothesis reveals that there was a statistically significant difference in the attitude of male and female healthcare providers towards the COVID-19 vaccine in Federal Medical Center, Keffi, Nasarawa State, Nigeria (Cal.t=3.462, df=138, P<.025). Based on the findings, it was recommended that there is a need to reduce and redistribute individual workloads, recruit new staff, provide sufficient personal protective equipment, offer financial and psychological support, and shorten shift lengths among healthcare workers.