ABSTRACT
Objective: Studies have shown that individuals with disabilities participate in routine immunization programs less than individuals without any disabilities. This study was carried out to explore the attitudes of parents of children and adolescents aged 0-18 years with an intellectual disability towards vaccination before the COVID-19 pandemic.Material and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted with the parents of 94 children and adolescents aged 0-18 years who were educated in a special training center in Izmir. Socio-demographic Questionnaire and Attitudes towards Vaccination Scale were used as data collection tools for the study. Attitudes towards Vaccine Scale has been developed by Cvjetkovic et al. Ethics approval was obtained from the Izmir Katip celebi University Non-Invasive Clinical Research Ethics Committee, and institutional approval was obtained from the institution administration. Results:The rate of parents who stated that they believed that vaccines had serious side effects was 73.4%. The rate of families who had never been vaccinated and thought that the vaccines were ineffective was 14.9%. The parents' total ATVS median score was 43 and they displayed a moderately positive attitude. Those who believed that "vaccines have serious side effects" had the lowest median ATVS score (p< 0.005). Median ATVS scores of fully vaccinated parents were higher than those of the parents who did not have any vaccinations and who had incomplete vaccination, and they displayed a more positive attitude (p< 0.005). According to the parents' sources of information, ATVS scores were compared (p< 0.005), and the median ATVS scores of those who received information from healthcare personnel were higher than those of the parents who received information from other sources (p< 0.005). Conclusion: In this study, while 14.9% of the parents of children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities reported that they did not get their children vaccinated, 85.1% got their children vaccinated. Children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities have higher health risks due to various reasons such as the inadequacy of health protection and improvement programs, and therefore, they should be among the priority groups in immunization.
ABSTRACT
Objective: Studies have shown that individuals with disabilities participate in routine immunization programs less than individuals without any disabilities. This study was carried out to explore the attitudes of parents of children and adolescents aged 0-18 years with an intellectual disability towards vaccination before the COVID-19 pandemic. Material(s) and Method(s): This descriptive study was conducted with the parents of 94 children and adolescents aged 0-18 years who were educated in a special training center in Izmir. Socio-demographic Questionnaire and Attitudes towards Vaccination Scale were used as data collection tools for the study. Attitudes towards Vaccine Scale has been developed by Cvjetkovic et al. Ethics approval was obtained from the Izmir Katip Celebi University Non-Invasive Clinical Research Ethics Committee, and institutional approval was obtained from the institution administration. Result(s): The rate of parents who stated that they believed that vaccines had serious side effects was 73.4%. The rate of families who had never been vaccinated and thought that the vaccines were ineffective was 14.9%. The parents' total ATVS median score was 43 and they displayed a moderately positive attitude. Those who believed that "vaccines have serious side effects" had the lowest median ATVS score (p< 0.005). Median ATVS scores of fully vaccinated parents were higher than those of the parents who did not have any vaccinations and who had incomplete vaccination, and they displayed a more positive attitude (p< 0.005). According to the parents' sources of information, ATVS scores were compared (p< 0.005), and the median ATVS scores of those who received information from healthcare personnel were higher than those of the parents who received information from other sources (p< 0.005). Conclusion(s): In this study, while 14.9% of the parents of children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities reported that they did not get their children vaccinated, 85.1% got their children vaccinated. Children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities have higher health risks due to various reasons such as the inadequacy of health protection and improvement programs, and therefore, they should be among the priority groups in immunization.Copyright © 2023 by Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunization Society.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic illustrated that intolerance of uncertainty (IU) can hinder problem-solving and lead to avoidance of ambiguous situations. Furthermore, people tend to lack confidence in decisions made in ambiguous contexts. We wanted to investigate the impact of IU on intentions to get vaccinated, to vaccinate one's children, and to recommend the vaccine in situations with varying degrees of perceived uncertainty. We first conducted a pretest to select six scenarios with different levels of perceived uncertainty. In the core study, 485 participants answered for each of the six scenarios whether they would get vaccinated, vaccinate their children (or imagine doing so, for individuals without children), and whether they would recommend the vaccine. They also completed the IUS-12 (Intolerance of Uncertainty scale) and the VAX (Vaccination Attitudes Examination). Results showed that perceived uncertainty did not influence our measures, but the IUS-12 and VAX predicted the difference in score between the most and least uncertain scenarios. An indirect effect of the IUS-12 on decision confidence through the VAX was found, but with no direct effect. We conclude that, even if future studies should refine these results, Public Policies should be more focused on factors such as IU and attitudes toward vaccination.
ABSTRACT
Background: Vaccine hesitancy causes serious difficulties in vaccination campaigns in many countries. The study of the population's attitude toward vaccination and detection of the predictive important individual psychological and social factors defining the vaccination necessity perception will allow elaborating promoting vaccination adherence measures. Objectives: The aim of this research was to study COVID-19 threat appraisal, fear of COVID-19, trust in COVID-19 information sources, COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs, and the relationship of sociodemographic variables to COVID-19 preventive behavior. Methods: We carried out a cohort cross-sectional study of the population's attitude toward vaccination against the novel COVID-19 coronavirus infection, using a specially designed questionnaire for an online survey. Totally, there were 4,977 respondents, ranging in age from 18 to 81 years. Statistical assessment was carried out using the SPSS-11 program. Results: There were different attitudes toward vaccination. Among respondents, 34.2% considered vaccination to be useful, 31.1% doubted its effectiveness, and 9.9% considered vaccination unnecessary. The survey indicated that 7.4% of respondents were indifferent to the vaccine, while 12.2% deemed it to be dangerous. Nearly one-third (32.3%) of respondents indicated that they did not plan to be vaccinated, while another third (34.0%) would postpone their decision until more comprehensive data on the results and effectiveness of vaccination were available. Only 11.6% of the respondents were vaccinated at the time of the study. Young people were less focused on vaccination compared to middle-aged and elderly people. Receiving information concerning COVID-19 vaccination from healthcare workers and scientific experts was associated with greater vaccination acceptance. Conclusion: The study results showed that vaccination attitudes interacted with individuals' mental health and various sociodemographic factors. Insofar as reports of physicians and experts are essential for shaping attitudes to vaccination, the study results inform the selection of target groups in need of particular psychosocial interventions to overcome their vaccine hesitancy.
ABSTRACT
Since 2018, Spanish National Immunization Guidelines include vaccination recommendations for adults ≥65 years. To determine whether health-care professionals and the ≥65 years target group value the need for these recommendations, a cross-sectional study was conducted to capture and describe their knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors about vaccination. Online surveys were administered to representative groups of general practitioners (GPs), primary care nurses and adults ≥65 years from six major cities (and surrounding rural areas) in Spain. Main topics were attitudes and awareness of vaccines, perceptions about vaccination in adults ≥65 years, and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vaccination uptake. A total of 286 health-care professionals (185 GPs, 101 nurses) and 400 adults aged ≥65 years participated in the survey. GP and nurse groups agreed strongly about the importance of influenza and pneumococcal vaccination in the target population. Longer patient visit times were identified as a key factor toward promoting vaccination. The ≥65 years sample group, especially those ≥75+ years and/or with chronic diseases, was reasonably positive about the effectiveness and benefits of vaccines. Lower vaccination rates for the pneumococcal than influenza vaccine (29% vs. 80%) in the ≥65 years sample group suggest that efforts are needed to improve pneumococcal vaccine uptake. Aligning with other published works, GPs have a key role in promoting vaccination in the target population. The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have heightened awareness about the importance of vaccination among health-care professionals and adults ≥65 years.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Influenza Vaccines , Influenza, Human , Vaccine-Preventable Diseases , Adult , Aged , COVID-19/prevention & control , Cross-Sectional Studies , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Humans , Influenza, Human/prevention & control , Pandemics , Pneumococcal Vaccines , Spain , Surveys and Questionnaires , VaccinationABSTRACT
Within a few months, the scientific world achieved a great success, developing effective and safe vaccines against COVID-19. Many countries with full access to vaccines have introduced recommendations for the vaccination of not only people who are at risk of developing severe COVID-19, i.e., the elderly and chronically ill, but all members of society, including children aged 12 and above as the currently registered preparations can be used above the said age. However, the use of COVID-19 vaccines in children arouses strong emotions, with their sense being frequently questioned. The aim of the paper was to assess the attitudes of Polish parents with regard to vaccinations against COVID-19 administered to their children. The study was conducted with the use of the authors' original questionnaire, which was distributed online. The questionnaire was completed 4732 times, and 4432 surveys were qualified for the final analysis. The vast majority of the respondents were women (77.6%), people aged 36-44 (40.3%), with higher education (86.2%) and people living in the city with more than 250,000 inhabitants (48%). The mean age of the study group was 37.5 ± 6.61 years. Out of the studied group, 28.2% of parents are healthcare professionals. The study was conducted prior to the EMA's decision that permitted the use of BNT162b2 in children. Results: The vast majority of the respondents were mothers, who showed significantly more favorable attitudes toward the vaccinations than fathers. Forty-four percent of parents want to vaccinate their children as soon as possible, while every fourth parent does not want to vaccinate their child at all. Main concerns about the vaccines include concerns that the preparation has not been adequately tested and that it is ineffective, as well as the lack of information concerning potential complications in the future. The main sources of information on childhood vaccinations are the media, including the Internet and television. Vaccination of the pediatric population against COVID-19 raises many emotions and doubts in parents and it is also debated by experts. The decision to vaccinate should rest on child's parents. Both the individual benefits of protection against COVID-19 and the population benefits of pandemic control must be considered. There is a need for ongoing monitoring of the safety of administering COVID-19 vaccinations in children, as well as for evaluating their effectiveness and benefits in reducing individual risk of severe course of COVID-19 and complications after this disease, and for evaluating the population benefits of vaccines in children.
ABSTRACT
Despite the fact that more than a year has passed since the WHO declared the pandemic, there is still no effectivetreatment of COVID-19. According to current knowledge, the only method to stop the virus from spreading is prophylactic vaccination of the population. However, to achieve herd immunity, 60-72% of the population needs to be vaccinated, which is a significant challenge for current healthcare systems. As it has already been proven, having an effective vaccine is not the same as using it. Public acceptance is essential here. The study aimed to assess the changes in the attitudes of online respondents toward vaccination against COVID-19 over time. In the research, a questionnaire designed by the author of the study was used and it was distributed via the Internet in two stages. The questionnaire included a section assessing a sociodemographic status as well as the questions, designed by the author, evaluating the willingness of the respondents to get vaccinated and their main concerns associated with it. The first stage covered the period before the commencement of the population vaccination programme in Poland, i.e., 14-27 December 2020. Then, the survey was redistributed 2 months after the vaccination programme was started, i.e., 1-19 March 2021. Participation in the study was fully anonymous, voluntary and there was a possibility to opt out at any stage of the research. A total of 2048 respondents were surveyed and 26 persons refused to be involved in the research. A total number of 2022 responses were analysed. Stage I of the research involved 22.9% of the respondents (463 persons). The questions were answered by 1559 persons (72.9%) after the survey was redistributed. Among the participants of stage II of the study, 422 (27.1%) persons have already been vaccinated against COVID-19. A comparison of the responses that were collected from both stages of the study showed a slight increase in the willingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19 over time. It turned out that women, residents of large cities, people with a higher level of education and healthcare workers showed a more favourable attitude toward vaccination. According to the results of the survey, chronic diseases do not have a significant impact on the attitude toward vaccinations (p = 0.155). As the social vaccination promotion campaign continued, a slight increase in the willingness to get vaccinated was observed. According to the survey, women, residents of large cities and those with higher education demonstrated more favourable attitudes toward getting vaccinated against COVID-19. It should be stressed that despite the passage of time and the increasing experience with the new types of vaccines against COVID-19, the percentage of people who are afraid of the complications after the vaccination has not decreased significantly and the concern related to the ineffectiveness of vaccination has dramatically increased. This demonstrates the limited effectiveness of the current information system regarding passing the knowledge on of the safety and efficiency of vaccination and it indicates a necessity to modernise it as soon as possible.