The still unexplored mediating role of vaccine literacy

The role of vaccine literacy and health literacy in the health prevention decision-making process

“…We read with interest the letter of Biasio et al 1 that commented our meta-analysis. 2 We agree that, although health literacy (HL) and vaccine literacy (VL) are strictly related concepts that have been both investigated as determinants in the vaccination decision-making process, they are only partially overlapping.…”

“…This hypothesis could help explain the weak association found between HL and vaccine uptake in the elderly, 4 who could have a greater risk perception and more awareness of the serious consequences that may follow avoidable diseases. 11 Finally, as already mentioned, 1 a reflection should be made on the different decision paths that lead to the uptake of vaccinations and screening tests. In fact, while people more or less independently choose to adhere to screening programs, parents usually make the decision for their children in pediatric vaccinations, similarly to family or social beliefs that might continue to influence the vaccination choices of both adolescents and young adults.…”

“…To this end, a recent position paper 13 by the World Health Organization (WHO) has drawn the attention to investigating social and behavioral determinants of childhood and COVID-19 vaccination, defining them as “beliefs and experiences specific to vaccination that are potentially modifiable to increase vaccine uptake.” In this WHO framework, four domains of behavioral and social drivers of vaccinations are mentioned: i) thinking and feeling; ii) social processes; iii) motivation; and iv) practical issue, confirming the need to consider several aspects in addressing barriers and facilitators to vaccination uptake. Therefore, as the Authors pointed out, 1 the concepts of a vaccine literate environment and healthcare organization should be better explored to provide a more in-depth analysis of the relationship between personal VL and vaccination uptake. Accordingly, further efforts should be made in a few methodological aspects: for example, developing a tool that also analyses community and organizational VL levels could surely improve the understanding of the dynamics behind individual vaccination choices.…”