College Student Influenza and COVID-19 Vaccination Attitudes and Uptake Behavior in the U.S.: Prevalence, Correlates, and Promoting Improvement

For vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccination uptake is among the best public health behaviors to prevent infection, disease and death. However, public confidence in this behavior has waned in recent years alongside the twin respiratory threats of influenza and COVID-19. Moreover, certain populations, such as emerging adults, may be amenable to vaccination attitude and behavior change as they navigate their path between adolescence and adulthood. The current investigation presents two studies that address influenza and COVID-19 vaccination uptake among emerging adults. First, among more than 2000 emerging adults during the years of 2022–2024, we examined rates of vaccination uptake and attitudes, as well as relationships of vaccine rates with other concomitant health behaviors. Second, we explored the efficacy of a classroom-based vaccination promotion experience in altering both attitudes and behaviors regarding vaccination uptake among 275 emerging adults at college. Results highlighted some health behaviors that are related to influenza uptake but not COVID-19 uptake. Moreover, results from Study 2 demonstrated that attitudes, but not behavior, seem to be most amenable to the classroom-based approach to encourage health behavior change, as a significant increase in positive attitudes toward both influenza and COVID-19 vaccines was observed. These findings are discussed further, considering theoretical and practical applications.