Knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of Inonu University faculty members regarding childhood vaccine refusal

Abstract

Introduction Although there is a lot of scientific evidence that the benefits of vaccines outweigh their risks, hesitancy about the safety of vaccines can occur in every segment of the community. In this study, we aimed to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and associated factors of vaccine hesitancy among Inonu University faculty members regarding childhood vaccinations. Method This is a cross-sectional study, and 258 faculty members were included in the study. The questionnaire used in the study explored the sociodemographic characteristics of the faculty members and their knowledge, attitudes and behaviors regarding childhood vaccination. A chi-square test and a fisher exact test were used for statistical analysis. Results Of the faculty members, 31.8% were hesitant about childhood vaccines, 51.9% stated that there were studies reporting the side effects of vaccines, 48.1% did not agree with giving booster doses of vaccines, 35.7% stated that vaccines could cause autism due to the chemicals contained in the vaccines. The most important information sources of university faculty regarding childhood vaccines members are scientific publications and health professionals. Conclusions Faculty members level of hesitancy about vaccines was high and since health professionals and scientific articles are the most important information sources of faculty members, misinformation here may affect their knowledge, attitudes and behaviors about vaccination.

Keywords

• vaccine
• vaccination refusal
• knowledge
• faculty member
• hesitancy