Knowledge and beliefs on vaccines among a sample of Italian pregnant women: results from the NAVIDAD study

Abstract

Background Vaccine hesitancy is an emerging phenomenon in European countries and leads to decreasing trends in infant vaccine coverage. The aim of this study was to analyze the level of confidence and correct awareness about immunizations, which are crucial for the success of vaccination programmes. Methods As part of the NAVIDAD multicentre study, we examined vaccination confidence and complacency among a sample of 1820 pregnant women from 14 Italian cities. The questionnaire assessed the interviewee's knowledge, beliefs and misconceptions, as well as their socioeconomic status, information sources about vaccines and confidence in the Italian National Healthcare Service. Results Only 9% of women completely believed to the efficacy, necessity and safety of vaccinations. Almost 20% of them had misconceptions on most of the themes. There was a significant difference in the level of knowledge considering educational level: women with a high educational level have less probability of obtaining a low knowledge score (odds ratio (OR) 0.43 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.34–0.54]). The level of knowledge was also influenced by the sources of information: women who received information from their general practitioner (GP) and from institutional websites had a significantly lower chance of having misconceptions (OR 0.74 [95% CI 0.58–0.96]; OR 0.59 [95% CI 0.46–0.74]). Finally, the results underlined the influence of trust in healthcare professional information on the likelihood of having misconceptions (OR 0.49 [95% CI 0.27–0.89]). Conclusions The data suggest the efficacy of GPs and institutional websites as a source of information to contrast misconceptions and underline the importance of confidence in the healthcare system to increase complacency and confidence in vaccines.

Should vaccination be mandated? Individuals' perceptions on mandatory vaccination in Greece

“…The strongest predictors of mandatory vaccination support in our study were increased trust in official healthcare authorities' guidelines and recommendations (such as information on vaccines) and more frequent use of preventive services. Our findings are supported by previous work which found that interaction with healthcare providers and credible health information by trustworthy and reliable sources were commonly associated with acceptance and uptake of recommended vaccinations 16,18,20,21,24,26,31,32 . In fact, a review of the literature highlighted that the credibility of institutions might influence vaccination attitudes more than information 32 …”

“…The most common source of vaccine information are healthcare providers, and health information credibility stemming from trustworthy providers as well as frequent interaction with the healthcare system was found to positively influence vaccination uptake 16,20,21,24,25 . In recent years the Internet has emerged as an important source of information on vaccines as well.…”

Knowledge and Attitude towards Vaccination among Healthcare Workers: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study in a Southern Italian Region

“…These results are probably due to their deep knowledge about the impact of these diseases on pregnant women and newborns. A broad sentiment of vaccine hesitancy has grown throughout Europe [ 12 , 35 ] over the last decade. This sentiment is present also among HCWs [ 36 , 37 ], highlighting the lack of confidence in vaccine safety and usefulness.…”

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“…Regarding the perception of the diseases' danger, we found that this is significantly related to the quality of the information sources. A similar analysis has been conducted and it has shown that the sources of information influence the level of knowledge of the pregnant women [19].…”

“…A cross-sectional multicentre study (NAVIDAD study) examined the determinants of acceptance of mandatory vaccine restoration, identifying one of the main factors in information sources [18]. A subsequent analysis from the same working group focused on awareness and confidence in immunization [19]. In the context of the Navidad study, we analysed the use of information sources by pregnant women in the province of Ferrara.…”