Comparative analysis of COVID-19 vaccine booster dose (VBD) acceptance among trainees and students of health professions in Bangladesh

Background: Despite the proven therapeutic potential of bivalent vaccine primer doses against COVID-19, acceptance of vaccine booster doses (VBDs) varies among various subgroups of the global population. This study investigated the acceptance of COVID-19 VBDs among trainees and students of health professions in Bangladesh and compared the potential factors influencing their VBDs decisions. Methods: The questionnaire was deployed in an online-enabled layout and conveniently sent to encounters between June 10, 2023 and September 10, 2023. Data from 501 trainees and 501 students were compared (response rate 80.8 % vs.78.3 %) to explore the study objectives. Results: The pooled COVID-19 VBDs acceptance rates were 90.2 % (95 % Confidence Interval [CI]:87.6-92.8) vs. 93.2 % (95 % [CI]: 91.2-95.2) between trainees and students. The binary logistic analysis revealed that out of twelve factors "equal safety" (Adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 4.476 vs. 6.459), "efficacy" ([aOR]:3.673 vs. 2.913), "repeated immunity" ([aOR]: 1.729 vs. 2.247), and "self-priority" ([aOR]:3.108 vs. 4.645) had a significant positive association (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05) with VBDs acceptance in both groups. There were varied effects on several predictors. Among trainee professionals, "communication" and "booster mandate" were associated significantly ([aOR]:1.534 and 1.748, respectively; p < 0.05) with VBDs acceptance, whereas "information source" and "culture" were associated ([aOR]:3.692 and 3.151, respectively; p < 0.05) significantly with VBDs acceptance in the student cohort. Conclusions: There was a satisfactory acceptance level of COVID-19 VBDs among healthcare participants, and several multidimensional factors influenced their VBDs decisions in different ways. For enhancing public booster immunization decisions against COVID-19, individual health expectations must be linked to wider societal influences.