Predicting COVID-19 booster intentions among college students using the health belief model: advancing health promotion strategies for uptake

COVID-19 remains a significant public health threat. The primary purpose of this study was to test the health belief model (HBM) constructs in predicting COVID-19 booster intentions of college students. A total of 285 students enrolled at large public university in the Southeastern U.S., who were 18 years and older, completed an online survey to assess COVID-19 vaccination status, prior or current COVID-19 infection, demographics, and HBM constructs. Over three quarters of the sample (81.4%, = 232) was fully vaccinated, 2.1% ( = 6) was partially vaccinated, and 16.5% ( = 47) was unvaccinated. Furthermore, 53.4% ( = 124) of students who self-reported being fully vaccinated also reported receiving the booster vaccine. Nearly half of the sample (49.1%, = 140) self-reported previously or currently testing positive for COVID-19. Results of the stepwise multiple regression indicated the HBM constructs of perceived benefits ( =0.596;