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<article xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" dtd-version="1.0" article-type="epidemiology-/-public-health" lang="en">
<front>
<journal-meta>
<journal-id journal-id-type="publisher">JOHS</journal-id>
<journal-id journal-id-type="nlm-ta">Journ of Health Scien</journal-id>
<journal-title-group>
<journal-title>Journal of HealthCare Sciences</journal-title>
<abbrev-journal-title abbrev-type="pubmed">Journ of Health Scien</abbrev-journal-title>
</journal-title-group>
<issn pub-type="ppub">2231-2196</issn>
<issn pub-type="opub">0975-5241</issn>
<publisher>
<publisher-name>Radiance Research Academy</publisher-name>
</publisher>
</journal-meta>
<article-meta>
<article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">251</article-id>
<article-id pub-id-type="doi">http://dx.doi.org/10.52533/JOHS.2024.40102</article-id>
<article-id pub-id-type="doi-url"/>
<article-categories>
<subj-group subj-group-type="heading">
<subject>Epidemiology / Public Health</subject>
</subj-group>
</article-categories>
<title-group>
<article-title>Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Herpes Zoster Vaccination Among the General Population in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia
</article-title>
</title-group>
<contrib-group>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Alfandi</surname>
<given-names>Nibras</given-names>
</name>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Alhassan</surname>
<given-names>Zahraa</given-names>
</name>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Alfandi</surname>
<given-names>Noor</given-names>
</name>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Alsobie</surname>
<given-names>Shrooq</given-names>
</name>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Alkhalaf</surname>
<given-names>Bayan</given-names>
</name>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Ahmed</surname>
<given-names>Fatimah Bin</given-names>
</name>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Alamer</surname>
<given-names>Shaima</given-names>
</name>
</contrib>
</contrib-group>
<pub-date pub-type="ppub">
<day>30</day>
<month>11</month>
<year>-0001</year>
</pub-date>
<volume>4</volume>
<issue>1 </issue>
<fpage>11</fpage>
<lpage>22</lpage>
<permissions>
<copyright-statement>This article is copyright of Popeye Publishing, 2009</copyright-statement>
<copyright-year>2009</copyright-year>
<license license-type="open-access" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">
<license-p>This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) Licence. You may share and adapt the material, but must give appropriate credit to the source, provide a link to the licence, and indicate if changes were made.</license-p>
</license>
</permissions>
<abstract>
<p>Introduction: Herpes zoster (HZ), or shingles, arises from the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), particularly prevalent among the elderly and immunosuppressed. Despite the global trend of increasing HZ incidence, its prevalence in Saudi Arabia is not well established. Vaccination remains a key public health strategy, yet vaccine uptake varies widely, influenced by sociodemographic, cultural, and religious factors. This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding HZ vaccination among individuals aged 50 and over in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia, addressing a significant gap in current research.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. The target population consisted of Saudi nationals aged 50 years and older. Data were collected using an adapted questionnaire distributed via Google Forms, following ethical approval from King Faisal University. The responses were analyzed using SPSS version 21, with knowledge assessment based on correct responses and categorized into __ampersandsign#39;poor__ampersandsign#39; and __ampersandsign#39;good__ampersandsign#39; knowledge levels.
Results: Out of 345 participants, the majority had poor knowledge about HZ and its vaccine. Only 53% had heard about the shingles vaccine, and 87% demonstrated overall poor knowledge. The primary sources of information were other persons, the internet, and physicians. Most participants (83.5%) were not vaccinated against shingles, with reasons including disbelief in vaccines, perceived healthiness, and lack of awareness. Interest in learning more about the disease and willingness to vaccinate upon doctor__ampersandsign#39;s recommendation were also noted.
Conclusion: The study highlights a significant gap in knowledge and low vaccine uptake among the target population in Al-Ahsa. It underscores the need for educational initiatives and awareness programs to improve understanding and acceptance of the HZ vaccine. These findings can inform healthcare providers and policymakers in developing strategies to enhance vaccination coverage and ultimately improve public health outcomes in the region.
</p>
</abstract>
<kwd-group>
<kwd>Herpes Zoster</kwd>
<kwd> vaccine</kwd>
<kwd> knowledge</kwd>
<kwd> attitude</kwd>
<kwd> practice</kwd>
<kwd> Saudi Arabia</kwd>
</kwd-group>
</article-meta>
</front>
</article>