EVALUATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND FREQUENCY OF TETANUS VACCINATION AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS OF KARACHI

Abstract

Background:
Knowledge about Tetanus toxoid (TT) vaccination in students is lacking in our setup. The objective of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and frequency of tetanus vaccination among university students of Karachi.

Material and Methods:
A crosssectional survey was conducted after. ERB approval was taken from Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical College Lyari Karachi. Convenience sampling was used to collect data for six months after the approval in July 2022. Data was analyzed by using SPSS 24. Descriptive statistics were applied for quantitative and qualitative variables. The association of qualitative variables was tested by applying the Chi-square test. P-value <0.05 was taken as significant.

Result:
The mean age 21+ 2 years were enrolled. The majority of the students 93.3% had heard about the Tetanus disease and 59.5% had heard of the Tetanus vaccination. A total of 93% of students knew that the Tetanus vaccine is injectable. Only 36% of the students were vaccinated, 25% were unvaccinated, and 39% did not know about their vaccination status. Among the students who were vaccinated, injury was the single most common reason for getting the tetanus vaccine.

Conclusion:
The knowledge level and vaccination status of the students were unsatisfactory. So, awareness campaigns and immunization programs should be started.