Reflection of vaccine and COVID-19 fear in young groups in the COVID-19 pandemic

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine the fear of COVID-19 through the opinions of individuals under the age of 18 on the COVID-19 vaccine and vaccination. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 290 high school students studying in a central district between February 15, 2021, and March 1, 2021. The questionnaire consisted of questions about the sociodemographic characteristics of the students and COVID-19 infection and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale. RESULTS: The age of the participants ranged from 14–18; 76.9% of the study group consisted of female students; and 76.9% of the participants declared that they live in middleincome households. Participants reported that they lived in the same house with at least 2 and a maximum of 12 people; 9.7% of the participants reported that they had a COVID-19 infection; 62.4% of the participants reported that they want to get the COVID-19 vaccine; and 55.2% of the participants reported that the COVID-19 vaccine will reduce the transmission. The mean obtained from the Fear of COVID-19 Scale is 3.38±4.75 in the whole group. It was determined that there was a significant difference between genders, the effect of the vaccine on the incidence, the status of having a COVID-19 infection, and the score of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale. CONCLUSION: The attitudes of young individuals, who are one of the vulnerable groups during pandemic periods, toward vaccination are important in terms of infecting those they come into contact with and increasing the rate of infection.