Comparing knowledge and practice of Covid-19 vaccination between general school (Grade 6 to 9) and madrasa-going students (Grade 6 to 9 equivalent) at Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

Abstract

Background Schools and madrasas are regarded as high-risk locations for COVID-19 epidemics due to the crowded campus atmosphere, high movement, and constrained space. Therefore, vaccination is believed to be an essential tactic that can significantly reduce the occurrence and spread of this deadly infectious disease. However, there may be variations between a madrasa and a school regarding students’ desire to receive the COVID-19 vaccination. Therefore, a study comparing knowledge and practice of COVID-19 vaccination between general school and madrasa-going students is essential to improve vaccine coverage and prevent a future outbreak. Methods A cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted on students from six schools and six madrasas in Bangladesh. A semi-structured and self-reported questionnaire containing informed consent, four sections containing the socio-demographics section, the impact of COVID section, knowledge about COVID vaccine section, and uptake of COVID vaccine was used. Multiple logistic regression was performed to determine the variables affecting the uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations. Results A total of 2361 respondents were included in the final analysis, out of whom 1550 (65.65%) were school students and 811 (34.35%) were from the madrasa. The average age of students was 13.74±1.41 (SD), and more than half were females (64.00%). Both students from school and madrasa had adequate knowledge about the COVID-19 vaccine, and the proportion of madrasa students with correct answers was higher than that of school students. The common source of knowledge for school students was school; for madrasa students, it was mass media. There was more than 95% vaccine uptake for both institutions, and the primary reason for taking the vaccine was the perception that the vaccine was safe. Socio-demographic factors like age, family size, and location had a significant association with vaccine uptake.

Conclusions The findings reflect that there is no significant difference in uptake of the COVID vaccine between schools and madrasa. The proportion of madrasa students was higher than school students when asked about knowledge.