Mapping Adult Vaccine Confidence in Future Health Professionals: A Pilot Study among Undergraduate Students at Two Universities in Greece
Enada Leshi,
Ilias Pagkozidis,
Maria Exidari,
Georgia Gioula,
Maria Chatzidimitriou,
Ilias Tirodimos,
Theodoros Dardavesis,
Zoi Tsimtsiou
Affiliations
Enada Leshi
Department of Hygiene, Social-Preventive Medicine and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Ilias Pagkozidis
Department of Hygiene, Social-Preventive Medicine and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Maria Exidari
Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Georgia Gioula
Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Maria Chatzidimitriou
Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Health Sciences, International Hellenic University, 57400 Thessaloniki, Greece
Ilias Tirodimos
Department of Hygiene, Social-Preventive Medicine and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Theodoros Dardavesis
Department of Hygiene, Social-Preventive Medicine and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Zoi Tsimtsiou
Department of Hygiene, Social-Preventive Medicine and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Health professionals’ recommendations increase vaccine uptake. We aimed to document stances, practices regarding adult vaccination, and their predictors among undergraduate medical and biomedical science students, as well as their perspectives on increasing vaccine confidence. Among the 430 participants, third-year students from two universities in Greece, only 25.4% were in favor of all vaccines, while no refuters were detected. Predictors of recommending vaccination were the Attitudes Towards Adult Vaccination (ATAVAC) Value (OR 3.26, p p p p p p p p < 0.05). Improving community health literacy and health providers’ education, boosting trust in authorities, and adopting a person-centered approach emerged as the main themes regarding how to increase vaccine confidence. Mapping health professionals’ confidence in vaccines and providing lifelong training support is pivotal in supporting positive attitudes, enhancing their competence, and promoting vaccination in the post-COVID-19 era.
