Optional Vaccines in Children—Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices in Romanian Parents

Abstract

Vaccination is one of the most useful medical interventions for controlling certain infectious diseases. The aim of current research is to identify some of the drivers of vaccine hesitancy or acceptance in a rather skeptical European population by addressing parental perception on optional vaccination (OV) perception. Novel tools, delivered by social media, were used in our research attempt. A validated questionnaire was distributed online among parents. Parental knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of OV were analyzed. The majority of parent respondents (55.1%) showed very good knowledge about vaccination and vaccine-preventable diseases, and 76.0% stated that they had given at least one optional vaccine to at least one of their children. The most common optional vaccine administered was the rotavirus vaccine. The level of knowledge appeared to be related to compliance with OV. Concurrently, the rate of vaccine acceptance in the NIP (National Immunization Program) was not correlated with the level of parental knowledge. In total, a high percentage of parents (77.6%) believed that OV can bring an additional health safety benefit to their children. This study shows the need to involve the medical community in a steady dialogue with parents about OV. Raising awareness by presenting clear and understandable information could be a game-changing intervention in mitigating the public health impact of OV-preventable diseases.

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“…Therefore, enabling access to the latest and most accurate information regarding vaccines through health education and promotional interventions adapted to the modern context is particularly crucial. And perception studies on vaccine hesitancy and behavior have been performed in a timely manner via Social Media tools, reaching rather large cohorts of responding people [ 16 ]. Public health messaging should capitalize on social media to provide accessible, transparent, and age-appropriate information.…”

Vaccine Hesitancy Phenomenon Evolution during Pregnancy over High-Risk Epidemiological Periods—“Repetitio Est Mater Studiorum”

“…This information addressed the stress and fear levels and may have affected pregnancy evolution and future infant safety, adding general mistrust and overall insecurity. Finally, all these shaping factors generated new attitudes and decisions, which translated into general vaccine hesitancy and reluctance [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 35 , 50 , 51 , 52 ].…”