Background: Pneumonia has been associated with high morbidity and mortality rates; it could be prevented or reduced by vaccination.
Objectives: To assess the knowledge attitude and practice (KAP) of Saudi adults toward pneumococcal vaccine commitment and benefits.
Methods: This was a qualitative cross-sectional study that was conducted electronically from April to August 2021 among the general population in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to elaborate people's awareness about the importance of pneumococcal vaccine.
Results: The study included 13,280 participants. The level of knowledge regarding pneumococcal vaccine was poor among 65.7%, moderate among 24.6% and good among 9.7% participants, while the attitude was positive among more than half of the participants, neutral among 32.2%, and negative among 9.1%. The level of practice was wrong among 43.7%, right among 31.1%, and not complete among 25.2%. The good KAP levels were significantly associated with adult males who had high educational degree and work as healthcare professionals.
Conclusion: The study showed poor knowledge among most of the participants with positive attitude toward practicing pneumococcal vaccine. The poor knowledge about the essential value of pneumonia vaccine as well as lack of advice by health care providers need to be addressed in the national program for pneumonia vaccine.
Key words: Knowledge, attitude, practice, pneumonia, pneumococcal diseases, vaccination, Saudi Arabia
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