Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice toward Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccination Among Medical Students at King Saud University

Context: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a contagious respiratory pathogen that causes severe illness in older adults, immunocompromised individuals, and those with comorbidities. It poses a global health burden. Despite available vaccines for older adults, awareness of RSV remains limited, especially among medical students. Aims: The aim is to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward RSV vaccination among medical students at King Saud University and to examine associated demographic factors. Settings and Design: A quantitative, analytical, cross-sectional study conducted at the College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between November 2024 and April 2025. Subjects and Methods: A structured, electronic, self-administered questionnaire was distributed to undergraduate medical students through convenience sampling. The survey included sections on demographics, knowledge of RSV, attitude toward RSV vaccination, and vaccination practices. Statistical Analysis Used: Descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, binary logistic regression, and Spearman’s correlation were conducted using SPSS. P ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 478 students were included in the analysis, 62.6% had heard of RSV, only 15.7% had good knowledge. While 59.9% showed a positive attitude, but only 32.8% demonstrated good practice. Knowledge was significantly associated with age and academic year ( P < 0.001). Spearman’s correlation revealed positive associations between knowledge and attitude ( r = 0.194, P = 0.001) and between attitude and practice (r = 0.265, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Our findings highlight limited awareness and practical engagement with RSV vaccination among medical students. Despite favourable attitudes, actual knowledge and practices were suboptimal.