Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of patients regarding the herpes zoster (HZ) vaccine who attended primary healthcare centers (PHCs) in the central region of Saudi Arabia.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between July and August 2023 among patients who attended PHCs in the central area of Saudi Arabia, using a self-administered validated questionnaire design based on a previous study.
Results: Out of 420 participants in this study, 95.7% had a positive attitude, 83.8% had good knowledge, and only 5.8% had good practice with the HZ vaccine. Regarding the association with KAP, those with a 5,00010,000 SAR family monthly income and a university education degree both had a significant positive influence on knowledge (p-value = 0.0001 and p-value= < 0.0001, respectively) and attitude (p-value = 0.002 and p-value= < 0.0001, respectively), while a negative impact on practice (p-value = 0.001 and p-value = 0.002, respectively).
Conclusion: This study highlighted an overall good knowledge and positive attitude of PHC patients towards HZ vaccination; however, the practice was poor. More educational campaigns are required to enhance the practice of HZ vaccination, especially among the high-risk population in Saudi Arabia.

Key words: Herpes Zoster, vaccine, shingles, KAP, Saudi Arabia