Herpes Zoster Vaccine Awareness and Uptake Among Older Adults in Saudi Arabia: Insights for Public Health, Preventive Medicine, and Primary Care Practice

ABSTRACT Background/Objectives Complications from Herpes Zoster (HZ) are common among older adults and immunosuppressed populations. The HZ vaccine is a clinically and financially superior alternative to antiviral medications. However, a knowledge gap exists within the population regarding HZ and the vaccine. This quantitative cross‐sectional study assessed the knowledge, practices, and attitudes of people aged > 50 years towards HZ vaccination in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Methods Data were collected via an online self‐administered Arabic questionnaire. It captured sociodemographic and health‐related parameters, knowledge of HZ and its vaccine, and attitudes towards vaccination. A total of 431 responses were collected and a multivariate linear regression was applied to test the association between study variables and participants' awareness about the HZ virus and vaccine. Results The participants comprised 53.4% men and 46.6% women with a median age of 54 years (interquartile range 7); 86.5% and 61% of participants were aware of HZ and the vaccine, respectively. The multivariate linear regression model demonstrated that female sex, older age, health insurance, and pox‐history, were significantly associated with greater knowledge of HZ ( p < 0.05); 85.4% of participants were not vaccinated, citing vaccine side effects (30.2%), low perceived risk (20.9%), and lack of awareness (20.0%). 65.2% and 84.9% of participants expressed interest in learning more about HZ and its prevention, respectively. 69.4% were willing to receive the vaccine if recommended by a healthcare provider. Conclusions Despite relatively high awareness, vaccine uptake remained low. These findings highlight the need to explore additional barriers influencing vaccination uptake.