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Impact of Meningitis Vaccination Awareness Campaigns on Meningitis Vaccine Uptake among University Students in Nigeria

Abstract

Meningitis remains an important public health concern in Nigeria because bacterial meningitis can cause severe illness, neurological complications, disability, and death, particularly during outbreaks and periods of increased transmission. University students may face increased exposure to infectious diseases because of close social interaction, shared accommodation, crowded lecture halls, mobility between communities, and participation in large gatherings. Despite the availability of meningitis vaccines and ongoing public health efforts, vaccine uptake among young adults may be affected by inadequate knowledge, misconceptions about vaccine safety and effectiveness, low perceived susceptibility, concerns about adverse effects, financial barriers, limited access to vaccination services, and inadequate awareness of vaccination recommendations. Meningitis vaccination awareness campaigns provide an opportunity to improve students' knowledge, address misconceptions, communicate the benefits of vaccination, and encourage timely access to available meningitis vaccination services. Against this background, this study investigates the impact of meningitis vaccination awareness campaigns on meningitis vaccine uptake among university students in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Health Belief Model, Theory of Planned Behavior, and Social Ecological Model. The Health Belief Model explains how students' perceptions of susceptibility to meningitis, perceived severity of the disease, perceived benefits of vaccination, perceived barriers, and cues to action may influence vaccination decisions. The Theory of Planned Behavior emphasizes attitudes toward vaccination, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, and behavioural intentions as determinants of vaccine uptake. The Social Ecological Model highlights the influence of individual, interpersonal, university, community, healthcare, and broader environmental factors on vaccination behaviour. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how meningitis vaccination awareness campaigns may influence vaccine uptake among university students in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental or analytical cross-sectional research design. The study population will comprise undergraduate and postgraduate students aged 18 years and above enrolled in selected public and private universities across Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select geopolitical zones, states, universities, faculties or departments, levels of study, student residences, and eligible students. Meningitis vaccination awareness campaigns will be assessed using indicators such as exposure to vaccination messages, frequency and duration of campaign activities, campaign channels, information on meningitis transmission and symptoms, information on vaccine benefits and eligibility, communication about vaccine safety, clarification of misconceptions, information on vaccination locations, reminders, peer education, social-media messaging, campus health events, and accessibility of campaign materials. Meningitis vaccine uptake will be assessed using indicators such as receipt of recommended meningitis vaccination, vaccination status, intention to receive vaccination where appropriate, attendance at campus or community vaccination activities, completion of recommended doses where applicable, and verified vaccination records or documentation where available. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, vaccination records or cards where available, university health-centre records, campaign attendance registers, and relevant public health programme documents. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize students' characteristics, exposure to awareness campaigns, knowledge of meningitis, vaccination attitudes, and vaccine uptake. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, t-tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the impact of meningitis vaccination awareness campaigns on vaccine uptake. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, vaccination uptake before and after the awareness campaign may be compared with that of a comparison group or university to determine changes associated with the intervention. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that meningitis vaccination awareness campaigns have a significant positive impact on meningitis vaccine uptake among university students in Nigeria. Students exposed to structured and credible vaccination awareness campaigns are expected to demonstrate greater knowledge of meningitis and a higher likelihood of receiving recommended meningitis vaccination than students without comparable exposure. Campaigns may improve awareness of meningitis transmission, symptoms, risk factors, disease severity, vaccine benefits, and locations where vaccination services can be obtained. Addressing misconceptions and concerns about vaccine safety may increase confidence and willingness to seek vaccination. Campus-based vaccination information and convenient vaccination services may further reduce access barriers and encourage uptake. However, vaccine cost, limited availability, concerns about adverse effects, misinformation, low perceived susceptibility, inadequate vaccination services, and uncertainty regarding eligibility or vaccination schedules may reduce the effectiveness of awareness campaigns. The study therefore expects accessible, evidence-based, culturally appropriate, and well-coordinated meningitis vaccination awareness campaigns, supported by convenient vaccination services, to contribute significantly to improved meningitis vaccine uptake among university students in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on meningitis prevention, vaccination awareness, vaccine uptake, adolescent and young-adult health, university health services, infectious disease prevention, health education, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, state ministries of health, university health centres, universities, student organizations, healthcare professionals, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for improving meningitis prevention among young adults. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for strengthening university-based vaccination awareness programmes, improving access to meningitis vaccination services, addressing vaccine misinformation, integrating vaccination education into campus health programmes, strengthening student-targeted communication strategies, and establishing effective vaccination referral and reminder systems across Nigerian universities.

Keywords: Meningitis vaccination awareness campaigns, meningitis vaccine uptake, meningitis prevention, university students, vaccination, vaccine hesitancy, infectious disease prevention, health education, university health, Nigeria, public health.