{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T17:26:41Z","timestamp":1790011601304,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,5,5]],"date-time":"2023-05-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1683244800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Lebanese International University"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Vaccines"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Vaccination is the most effective preventative strategy against influenza, yet university students\u2019 influenza vaccination uptake remains low. This study aimed firstly to determine the percentage of university students who were vaccinated for the 2015\u20132016 influenza season and to identify reasons for non-vaccination, and secondly to examine the impact of external factors (on-campus\/online influenza awareness campaigns and COVID-19 pandemic) on their influenza vaccination uptake and attitudes for the 2017\u20132018 and 2021\u20132022 influenza seasons. A descriptive study was conducted over three phases for three influenza seasons at a Lebanese university in the Bekaa Region. Based on data collected in 2015\u20132016, promotional activities were developed and implemented for the other influenza seasons. This study was conducted using an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire by students. The majority of the respondents in the three studies did not receive the influenza vaccine (89.2% in the 2015\u20132016 study, 87.3% in the 2017\u20132018 study, and 84.7% in the 2021\u20132022 study). Among the unvaccinated respondents, the main reason for non-vaccination was that they thought that they did not need it. The primary reason for vaccination among those who were vaccinated was that they believed they were at risk of catching influenza in a 2017\u20132018 study and due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the 2021\u20132022 study. As for attitudes towards influenza vaccination post-COVID-19, significant differences were shown among the vaccinated and unvaccinated respondents. The vaccination rates among university students remained low despite of the awareness campaigns and COVID-19 pandemic.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vaccines11050949","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,5,5]],"date-time":"2023-05-05T09:18:09Z","timestamp":1683278289000},"page":"949","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Factors Affecting Influenza Vaccination Uptake and Attitudes among Lebanese University Students: The Impact of Vaccination Promotional Programs and COVID-19 Pandemic"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"given":"Nisreen","family":"Mourad","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Lebanon"},{"name":"INSPECT-LB: Institut National de Sant\u00e9 Publique, \u00c9pid\u00e9miologie Clinique et Toxicologie-Liban, Beirut 1103, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lidia","family":"Mourad","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dalal","family":"Hammoudi Halat","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Academic Quality Department, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar"},{"name":"School of Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1961-2600","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zeina","family":"Farah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Epidemiological Surveillance Program, Ministry of Public Health, Beirut, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0432-5190","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mohamed","family":"Hendaus","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Israa","family":"El Sayed Trad","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Health Institute Department, American University of Beirut, Beirut 11-0236, Lebanon"},{"name":"School of Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1419-2934","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marwan","family":"El Akel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Lebanon"},{"name":"School of Education, Lebanese International University, Beirut 14404, Lebanon"},{"name":"INSPECT-LB: Institut National de Sant\u00e9 Publique, \u00c9pid\u00e9miologie Clinique et Toxicologie-Liban, Beirut 1103, Lebanon"},{"name":"International Pharmaceutical Federation, 2517 JP The Hague, The Netherlands"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8602-1042","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jihan","family":"Safwan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Lebanon"},{"name":"INSPECT-LB: Institut National de Sant\u00e9 Publique, \u00c9pid\u00e9miologie Clinique et Toxicologie-Liban, Beirut 1103, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9707-6217","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mohamad","family":"Rahal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0443-0326","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Samar","family":"Younes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Lebanon"},{"name":"INSPECT-LB: Institut National de Sant\u00e9 Publique, \u00c9pid\u00e9miologie Clinique et Toxicologie-Liban, Beirut 1103, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,5,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"(2022, August 31). 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