Knowledge and Behaviours towards Immunisation Programmes: Vaccine Hesitancy during the COVID-19 Pandemic Era

Abstract

Assessing knowledge, attitudes and behaviours towards vaccination is a key strategy when implementing national and international immunisation programmes aimed at improving compliance among the population and thereby increasing vaccination coverage. While vaccination’s role as a powerful life-saving weapon in the fight against infectious diseases has been further highlighted following the introduction of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine, there is still a discrepancy between the scientific evidence on the effectiveness of vaccines and the perception of the risk attributed to them. Known as “Vaccine Hesitancy” (VH), this phenomenon is the delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines, despite the availability of services. VH can be found in at least 15% of the worldwide population, and even professional groups tasked with promoting vaccination as a primary prevention measure, e.g., healthcare workers (HCWs), sometimes have doubts regarding vaccination. Since 2014, this Public Health problem has been increasing in 90% of countries worldwide, to the extent that in 2019 it was listed as one of the ten greatest threats to global health by the World Health Organization (WHO). VH has also affected COVID-19 vaccination, hampering the achievement of desired vaccination coverage. Monitoring this trend by studying people’s behaviour and attitudes could be a useful tool to aid Public Health, in orienting vaccination policies and designing new health education and continuous training interventions, aimed at both the general public and accountable cohorts, such as HCWs.

COVID-19 and Digital Health: Evolution, Perspectives and Opportunities

“…Of particular importance in this context is the relationship between health literacy and the proper management of one’s own health. This concept, developed in the early 1970s in the English-speaking world, has been expanded upon by numerous scholars, leading to the present definition of health literacy as the set of cognitive and social skills that motivate individuals by enabling them to access, understand and use information in order to support and safeguard their own health [ 27 , 28 , 29 ]. According to the definition given by the World Health Organization, health literacy implies the attainment of a level of knowledge, individual skills and self-confidence that motivates individuals to take action to improve their own and the community’s health, changing their personal lifestyle and living conditions.…”

“…This is shown by the ever-frequent reluctance to adhere to vaccination programmes. In fact, while the role of vaccination as a powerful life-saving tool in the fight against infectious diseases has been widely highlighted in the fight against COVID-19, there is still a discrepancy between the scientific evidence on the efficacy of vaccines and the public’s perception of their risk [ 29 ]. This suggests the need to devise and implement health policies and interventions adapted to different levels of Health Literacy in order to enable the most vulnerable population groups to better cope with health challenges without the support of health professionals.…”

Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Breakthrough among the Non-Vaccinated and Vaccinated Population in Italy: A Real-World Evidence Study Based on Big Data

“…Since the marketing of new vaccines, the phenomenon known as “vaccine hesitancy” (VH) has spread, consisting of the delay in the acceptance or refusal of vaccines, despite the availability of services [ 6 ]. VH has recently been shown to be present in at least 15% of the world’s population, and even healthcare workers sometimes have doubts about vaccination [ 6 ].…”

“…Since the marketing of new vaccines, the phenomenon known as “vaccine hesitancy” (VH) has spread, consisting of the delay in the acceptance or refusal of vaccines, despite the availability of services [ 6 ]. VH has recently been shown to be present in at least 15% of the world’s population, and even healthcare workers sometimes have doubts about vaccination [ 6 ]. A recent study evaluating VH in Italy investigated levels of COVID-19 vaccine risk perception and found that it was associated with a higher likelihood of being uncertain about attitudes towards the vaccination rather than rejection of the vaccine [ 7 ].…”

Vaccine and Vaccination: On Field Research

“…In recent centuries, since their development, vaccinations have enabled the eradication of smallpox, drastically reduced the incidence of debilitating diseases such as polio and measles, and even prevented the onset of certain noncommunicable diseases, including liver and cervical cancer, thereby helping to increase the life expectancy of the world’s population [ 1 ]. Recently, the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic posed a humanitarian crisis marked by significant health, psychological, and economic pressures that exposed the vulnerability of institutional, scientific, and health systems worldwide.…”