Misinformation, perceptions towards COVID-19 and willingness to be vaccinated: A population-based survey in Yemen

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 16; no. 10; p. e0248325
• Main Authors: Bitar, Ahmad Naoras, Zawiah, Mohammed, Al-Ashwal, Fahmi Y., Kubas, Mohammed, Saeed, Ramzi Mukred, Abduljabbar, Rami, Jaber, Ammar Ali Saleh, Sulaiman, Syed Azhar Syed, Khan, Amer Hayat
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 29.10.2021; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Acceptance tests; Adult; Biology and Life Sciences; Communication; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - prevention & control; COVID-19 - psychology; COVID-19 vaccines; COVID-19 Vaccines - administration & dosage; Cross-Sectional Studies; Data collection; Disease Outbreaks - prevention & control; Disease Outbreaks - statistics & numerical data; Earth Sciences; Education; False information; FDA approval; Female; Humans; Income; Likert scale; Male; Management; Medical research; Medicine and Health Sciences; Men; People and Places; Perceptions; Pharmaceutical industry; Pharmaceutical sciences; Pharmaceuticals; Pharmacy; Polls & surveys; Population; Questionnaires; Racing; Rural areas; Sample size; Sampling techniques; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Social networks; Social Sciences; Socioeconomic Factors; Statistical analysis; Surveys and Questionnaires; Susceptibility; Urban areas; Vaccination; Vaccination - psychology; Vaccination - statistics & numerical data; Vaccination Refusal - psychology; Vaccination Refusal - statistics & numerical data; Vaccines; Viral diseases; Viruses; Websites; Worry; Yemen - epidemiology; Yemen; Malaysia; United Arab Emirates; Dubai United Arab Emirates; Penang Malaysia
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248325
• ISSN: 1932-6203

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, many pharmaceutical companies have been racing to develop a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine. Simultaneously, rumors and misinformation about COVID-19 are still widely spreading. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of COVID-19 misinformation among the Yemeni population and its association with vaccine acceptance and perceptions. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in four major cities in Yemen. The constructed questionnaire consisted of four main sections (sociodemographic data, misinformation, perceptions (perceived susceptibility, severity, and worry), and vaccination acceptance evaluation). Subject recruitment and data collection were conducted online utilizing social websites and using the snowball sampling technique. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed using SPSS version 27. The total number of respondents was 484. Over 60% of them were males and had a university education. More than half had less than 100$ monthly income and were khat chewers, while only 18% were smokers. Misinformation prevalence ranged from 8.9% to 38.9%, depending on the statement being asked. Men, university education, higher income, employment, and living in urban areas were associated with a lower misinformation level (p <0.05). Statistically significant association (p <0.05) between university education, living in urban areas, and being employed with perceived susceptibility were observed. The acceptance rate was 61.2% for free vaccines, but it decreased to 43% if they had to purchase it. Females, respondents with lower monthly income, and those who believed that pharmaceutical companies made the virus for financial gains were more likely to reject the vaccination (p <0.05). The study revealed that the acceptance rate to take a vaccine was suboptimal and significantly affected by gender, misinformation, cost, and income. Furthermore, being female, non-university educated, low-income, and living in rural areas were associated with higher susceptibility to misinformation about COVID-19. These findings show a clear link between misinformation susceptibility and willingness to vaccinate. Focused awareness campaigns to decrease misinformation and emphasize the vaccination's safety and efficacy might be fundamental before initiating any mass vaccination in Yemen.