Influenza Vaccination Practices and Perceptions Among Young Athletes: A Cross-Sectional Study in Greece
Dimitrios Lamprinos,
Maria Vroulou,
Michail Chatzopoulos,
Panagiotis Georgakopoulos,
Paraskevi Deligiorgi,
Evangelos Oikonomou,
Gerasimos Siasos,
Petros G. Botonis,
Kostas A. Papavassiliou,
Dimitrios Papagiannis,
Theodoros Pouletidis,
Christos Damaskos,
George Rachiotis,
Georgios Marinos
Affiliations
Dimitrios Lamprinos
Emergency Care Department, Laiko General Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece
Maria Vroulou
Emergency Care Department, Laiko General Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece
Michail Chatzopoulos
Emergency Care Department, Laiko General Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece
Panagiotis Georgakopoulos
Emergency Care Department, Laiko General Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece
Paraskevi Deligiorgi
First Department of Cardiology, Hippokration General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Evangelos Oikonomou
First Department of Cardiology, Hippokration General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Gerasimos Siasos
First Department of Cardiology, Hippokration General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Petros G. Botonis
Department of Sports Medicine and Biology of Exercise, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 17237 Athens, Greece
Kostas A. Papavassiliou
First Department of Respiratory Medicine, “Sotiria” Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Dimitrios Papagiannis
Public Health & Vaccines Laboratory, Department of Nursing, School of Health Science, University of Thessaly, 41500 Volos, Greece
Theodoros Pouletidis
First Department of Cardiology, Hippokration General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Christos Damaskos
N.S. Christeas Laboratory of Experimental Surgery and Surgical Research, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
George Rachiotis
Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, Greece
Georgios Marinos
Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Background: Influenza vaccination among athletes is a crucial area in sports medicine. This descriptive, cross-sectional study aims to explore the vaccination practices and intentions regarding influenza vaccines among young athletes. Methods: A structured, questionnaire-based study was conducted among students from the National School of Sports in Greece. The survey was conducted over the period of April to May 2023. Overall, 138 participants participated in the study. Results: More than half of the participants had received a flu vaccine in the past, but only 12.3% were vaccinated against influenza for 2022–2023. The main reasons seemed to be the lack of time (40.6%) and the idea that influenza does not lead to any serious health threats for the participants (36.2%). The main factor that affected their decision to get the flu vaccine or not was the need for more information regarding influenza vaccination (79%). Conclusions: The recent study showed low vaccination coverage among people of young age participating in sports activities. The qualitative views of the participants highlighted the significance of the lackof a well-organized information program provided by health professionals and coaches.
