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Assessing Facilitators and Barriers to Vaccine Uptake Among Vermont College and University Students
Li, Aric Dowling, Aimee Hartley, Sophia Hassan, Nour Hart, Zach Sharma, Ashley Sherpa-Ngima, Tsering Nissenbaum, Alexander
Li, Aric
Dowling, Aimee
Hartley, Sophia
Hassan, Nour
Hart, Zach
Sharma, Ashley
Sherpa-Ngima, Tsering
Nissenbaum, Alexander
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Abstract
Background: Vaccination is an important measure to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. Prior studies show vaccination behavior to be multifactorial. This study aimed to assess facilitators and barriers to uptake of recommended vaccines among Vermont university students.
Methods: We distributed a 20-question survey assessing facilitators and barriers to receiving vaccines and sources of vaccine information to Vermont college students 18 and older. Data was analyzed in R. Barriers and facilitators were compared between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups using t-tests or Wilcoxon tests. Trust-use gaps for information sources were calculated using mean trust – mean use scores and compared across vaccination groups.
Results: Among 126 respondents, which were nearly all UVM graduate students, the most frequently used vaccine information sources were primary care providers (75.4%), health authorities (44.5%), and student health services (30.9%). The most trusted sources were student health services (77.8%) and health authorities (50%). Respondents who received the latest COVID-19 booster were more likely to report having clear vaccine information as a facilitator for vaccine uptake and not knowing vaccine locations as a barrier, compared to those who did not receive the booster (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Despite high trust in student health services, few respondents reported using this source. Thus, increasing awareness of student health centers may improve access to trusted vaccine information. Nearly all respondents were UVM graduate students, and findings cannot be generalized to all Vermont colleges. Overall, we identified facilitators and barriers to vaccine uptake among UVM graduate students, highlighting potential pathways to increase accessibility in this population.
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2026-01-28
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Vermont Department of Health – Immunization Program