Factors associated with medical students’ intentions to get vaccinated against hepatitis B at Joseph Ki-Zerbo University according to the Theory of Planned Behavior in 2024.

Abstract

According to the WHO, global vaccination coverage against hepatitis B is 39%, while in Burkina Faso it remains particularly low among health sciences students (6%).  This low vaccination coverage, combined with the high prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection in Burkina Faso (9.1%), raises major concerns among health sciences students in general and medical students in particular.  The overall objective was to study the factors associated with medical students’ intention to get vaccinated against hepatitis B at Joseph Ki-Zerbo University in 2024. This was a quantitative cross-sectional study conducted from June 2024 to June 2025 among 770 medical students in their first through seventh years, selected through stratified random sampling based on year of study. Data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire. The results reveal that 47.79% of students were fully vaccinated. Subjective norms alone influence the intention to get vaccinated against hepatitis B (OR=2.98; p=0.031 ). Regarding behavioral variables, 50.2% had a positive attitude, 52.5% had favorable subjective norms, 56.7% had good perceived behavioral control, and 93% had a strong intention. Subjective norms appear to be the factors that can positively influence the intention to get vaccinated in our study. Future research could explore the development and acceptability of interventions based on subjective norms.