Knowledge and perception of COVID-19 vaccine among offshore oil and gas workers in Nigeria

Background: Offshore oil‑and‑gas installations are high-risk, high-mobility environments where infectious‑disease outbreaks can rapidly disrupt operations. Effective COVID-19 vaccination depends not only on vaccine availability but also on workers’ knowledge of the vaccine and their perceptions of its safety and value.

Objective: To assess the level of factual knowledge about, and attitudinal perceptions toward, the COVID-19 vaccine among offshore oil‑and‑gas workers in Nigeria.

Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among 295 offshore oil and gas workers. Data on knowledge and perception of the COVID-19 vaccine were obtained from modifying the World Health Organization (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) tool on vaccine hesitancy. Knowledge of the COVID-19 vaccine was assessed using seven structured items. A composite knowledge score ranging from 0 to 7 was calculated for each respondent, with scores of 4 or higher indicating good knowledge. The perception of the COVID-19 vaccine was measured using eight statements, each rated on a five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree), with higher scores indicating more favorable perceptions. Respondents with mean scores of 3.0 or higher were classified as having a positive perception. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data.

Results: The mean knowledge score was 4.6 ± 1.6; 55.6 % of respondents met the threshold for good knowledge. The highest mean scores were recorded for items related to antibody production (0.76) and WHO approval (0.73), whereas the route of administration was the least understood (0.45). The mean perception score was 2.89 ± 0.71; 47.1 % of workers held a positive perception.

Conclusion: Offshore personnel demonstrated moderate knowledge of COVID-19 vaccines, yet fewer than half expressed positive perceptions. Targeted, work‑site-specific education that clarifies vaccine administration and safety evidence is warranted to bridge this knowledge–perception gap and support sustained immunization uptake in the sector.