knowledge, attitude, practice and acceptance of covid-19 vaccine among elderly in chiang mai, thailand

aims this study determined the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding covid-19 and assessed the acceptance of the covid-19 vaccine among the elderly in chiang mai, thailand. instrument methods from february to may 2021, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 450 elderly 60 years old and above who lived in chiang mai municipality. the questionnaire collected demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude, practice about covid-19, and acceptance of the covid-19 vaccine. descriptive statistics are used to analyze. findings the results showed that 48.4% of the participants were male, 51.6% were female, and the mean±sd age was 68.2±7.3 years. participants have sufficient knowledge, attitude, and practice about covid-19, and the mean±sd score is 9.7±1.3, 4.2±0.8, and 3.98±0.5, respectively. the mean±sd score of the knowledge, attitude, and acceptance of the covid-19 vaccine were 4.3±1.4, 2.9±1.9, and 2.2±0.9, respectively. this study’s major issue is 95.1% of people strongly agree that maintaining social distancing can protect them and their families from contracting covid-19, and 92.7% strictly follow the guidelines to prevent the spread of covid-19. the policy can ultimately control the disease. 81.3% of respondents acknowledged vaccines are vital to the health of the elderly and believe that vaccination can reduce morbidity and mortality. also, 75.8% of people know that the covid-19 vaccine can cause side effects. conclusions the elderly in chiang mai, thailand, have adequate knowledge and awareness about covid-19 and are generally optimistic about resolving the pandemic and addressing the public concerns, raising awareness about covid-19 vaccination as a disease-control method to prevent further deterioration of general public health due to covid-19.