Background & Aim: Hungary started to administer several COVID-19 vaccines; however,
attitudes toward COVID-19 and vaccination are still poorly understood. This study
aimed to explore how the attitudes toward COVID-19 disease are associated with the
attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination in Hungary and compare the attitudes of health
and non-health workers toward COVID-19 disease and vaccination in Hungary.Methods
& Materials: Using a descriptive, cross-sectional design, we recruited a sample of
1820 persons through an electronic survey. In addition to the sociodemographic questions,
the attitudes towards COVID-19 disease and vaccination were assessed through self-developed,
literature-based questionnaires. Principal component analysis, Spearman's correlation,
linear regression, and the Mann-Whitney test were used in the data analysis.Results:
The mean age for the study participants (n=1735) was 43.8 ± 6.2 years, and females
were the majority (84.6%). Overall, participants showed good attitudes toward COVID-19
disease (mean score= 3.48, SD= 0.43) as compared to their attitudes toward COVID-19
vaccination (Mean score= 2.67, SD= 0.44). A positive correlation was found between
the attitudes toward COVID-19 disease and attitudes toward vaccination in Hungary
(r= 0.247, p< 0.01). Nurses and other health workers showed more positive attitudes
toward COVID-19 vaccination than non-health workers.Conclusion: Hungarian decision-makers
should intervene to improve the public's willingness to be vaccinated against COVID-19
or future pandemics. Health workers' knowledge and positive attitudes should be utilized
in the media to encourage the general population to be vaccinated. The suggested questionnaires
need to be validated for future pandemics' use.
