The hesitation on childhood vaccination: A narrative review on the information published on social media regarding vaccination in modern times

Abstract

Vaccines are considered one of the most important public health advancements of the modern age and the most cost-effective preventive method of curbing the spread of several diseases with high morbidity and lethality. However, vaccination coverage rates around the world have been threatened by the vaccine hesitancy phenomenon, considered by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the ten greatest menaces to public health in the world. Vaccine opposition is a mentality driven by various interests, as old as the vaccine itself, predominantly using the media and social networks, which have an enormous influence on people. They often spread false information about vaccines, frequently with no adequate scientific backing, negatively impacting vaccination rates. To understand the possible correlation between the information spread on social media and childhood vaccination rates, we performed a narrative review on the subject, with a qualitative approach, in original or review articles, indexed in national and international databases and/or journals, in Portuguese and English, published between 2011 and 2021, available in full and free of charge. One hundred and seventy-two articles were extracted from the literature, 49 of which were submitted to analysis. The use of content analysis in a narrative literature review made it possible to interpret the main publications that in the last decade point to the impact of social media as one of the main factors linked to vaccine hesitancy in children. The articles show that communication is presented as a determinant for adherence or vaccine hesitancy, and social media are a useful tool for disseminating information that can influence and mobilize the population, promoting its acceptance or having a negative impact on childhood vaccine coverage rates. Social Media has become fertile ground for the creation and spread of fake news, hence the importance of the health professional's engagement in strengthening the population's confidence in relation to immunization, minimizing vaccine hesitancy.

Keywords

• Vaccination coverage; Social media; Child; Narrative review.