Knowledge attitude of health workers, parents towards immunization

COVID-19 vaccines to children are expected to reduce the transmission of the disease to high-risk groups and achieve herd immunity in younger populations. A positive attitude toward COVID-19 vaccination in children among healthcare workers (HCWs) is predicted to reduce parents' hesitancy to vaccinate their children. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude of pediatricians and family physicians toward COVID-19 vaccination in children. A total of 112 pediatricians and 96 family physicians (specialists and residents) were interviewed to assess the level of knowledge, attitude, and perceived safety of COVID-19 vaccines for children...

Missed opportunities for vaccination (MOV) reflect quality of immunization service. The objective of this study was to assess vaccination timeliness, prevalence, and characteristics of MOVs among children aged 0-23 months, as well as knowledge, attitude and practice of health workers towards immunization. An exit interview method was used to select caregivers and health personnel. Selection took place in 26 health facilities within 14 health areas in the Dshcang Health district. Data were collected using two face-to-face questionnaires adapted from the World Health Organization (WHO) tools...

Immunization against common childhood diseases is an important strategy as it is critical for reducing the global child morbidity and mortality. This review explores the perceptions of parents and HCWs toward childhood immunization. The PRISMA guideline was used to search and include the studies. Relevant electronic databases were systemically searched for the years ranging from 2000 to 2021 to identify studies reported in English. Themes were then identified using thematic analysis. A total of 44 studies met the review criteria and were summarized and categorized into 4 themes: barriers to immunization, parental knowledge, attitude and behavior (KAB), health system factors and HCWs' KAB...

BACKGROUND: Childhood vaccination rates in Armenia are high. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that some health workers may advise against vaccination. The extent and reasons behind this are unknown. This study used the World Health Organization Tailoring Immunization Programmes approach to investigate medical specialists' vaccination practices. METHODS: Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 30 medical specialists (paediatricians, immunologists, neonatologists, neurologists, gynaecologists)...

INTRODUCTION: Childhood immunization has been globally recognized as the single most effective strategy in preventing childhood diseases and mortality. The perceptions of healthcare workers are important as their behavior and attitudes influence parental decision-making process. This research aimed to explore the factors that influence healthcare workers' experience and perceptions about delivering childhood immunization in Fiji. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted in three randomly selected health centers in Suva, Fiji from March 1st to April 5th, 2021...

Following a successful Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination pilot in 2013-2015 in Kitui county, Kenya introduced the HPV vaccine in October 2019 with a goal to immunize approximately 800,000 girls annually against HPV. Our study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practice of affected groups towards HPV infection and vaccination in two counties of Kenya. Semi-structured interviews from children aged between nine and thirteen years and key informants comprising of parents, head teachers, community leaders and health workers involved in HPV vaccination in health facilities from Mombasa and Tana-River counties were conducted...

In Austria, data on vaccine hesitancy is scarce. Available studies suggest around 1-11% of parents refuse vaccination, while many more are hesitant and consider refraining from some but not all of the recommended vaccinations. However, the key drivers for vaccine hesitancy in Austria are largely unknown. To learn more about vaccination coverage, attitude towards and knowledge around immunization as well as views on mandatory vaccination, we conducted a survey in a rural Austrian lay population including adults and children...

BACKGROUND: As in many Sub-Saharan African countries, the health system in Somalia is not operating at the capacity needed to lift childhood vaccination coverage to ninety percent or above, as recommended by United Nations Children's Fund. Current national estimates of coverage for the six major vaccine preventable childhood diseases range from thirty to sixty percent. Infectious disease outbreaks continue to pose significant challenges for the country's health authorities. OBJECTIVE: This important qualitative study, conducted in Galkayo District, Somalia, investigates limiting factors associated with childhood vaccination uptake from the perspective of both communities and health care workers...

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a highly widespread virus which is responsible for one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. Two main preventative strategies exist: anti-HPV vaccination and cervical screening. Health-care workers play a key role in promoting public health campaigns; however, vaccine hesitancy is an often under-recognized challenge. To investigate the overall knowledge of HPV and HPV-related issues, as well as the attitudes and practices of health professionals towards recommending the anti-HPV vaccine, an ad hoc knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) questionnaire was developed and validated in a sample of 139 Israeli pediatricians, gynecologists, and internal medicine doctors...

Vaccine hesitancy or lack of confidence in vaccines is considered a threat to the success of vaccination programs. The rise and spread of measles outbreaks in southern Africa in 2009-2010 were linked to objections among Apostolic Church members, estimated at about 3.5 million in Zimbabwe as of 2014. To inform planning of interventions for a measles-rubella vaccination campaign, we conducted an assessment of the factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy using data from various stakeholders. Among nine districts in three regions of Zimbabwe, we collected data on religious attitudes toward, and perceptions of, vaccines through focus group discussions with health workers serving Apostolic communities and members of the National Expanded Programme on Immunization; semi-structured interviews with religious leaders; and open-ended questions in structured interviews with Apostolic parents/caregivers...

BACKGROUND: People want to be well informed and ask for more information regarding their health. The public can use different sources (i.e. the Internet, health care providers, friends, family, television, radio, and newspapers) to access information about their health. Insight into the types and sources of vaccine related information that parents use, and reasons why they seek extra information is needed to improve the existing information supply about childhood vaccinations. METHODS: Dutch parents with one or more children aged 0-4 years received an online questionnaire (N=4,000) measuring psychosocial determinants of information-seeking behaviour and self-reports of types and sources of vaccine information searched for (response rate 14...

Measles is a highly contagious and potentially fatal disease. Europe is far from the 95% coverage rates necessary for elimination of the disease, although a safe and cost-effective vaccine is available. We reviewed the literature on studies carried out in European countries from January 1991 to September 2011 on knowledge, attitudes and practices of health professionals towards measles vaccination and on how health professionals have an impact on parental vaccination choices. Both quantitative and qualitative studies were considered: a total of 28 eligible articles were retrieved...

OBJECTIVE: Intermittent preventive treatment in infants (IPTi) is a malaria control strategy currently recommended by WHO for implementation at scale in Africa, consisting of administration of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) coupled with routine immunizations offered to children under 1 year. In this study, we analysed IPTi acceptability by communities and health staff. METHODS: Direct observation, in-depth interviews (IDIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted in Benin, Madagascar and Senegal during IPTi pilot implementation...

Parents and caretakers of young children often have concerns about vaccine safety and adverse events following immunization (AEFI). Little is known about vaccine safety perceptions in Uganda and their influence on parental decision-making about infant immunization. The study objectives were: to identify community sources of information on immunization, vaccine safety and AEFI; determine caretakers' knowledge of immunization; identify community concerns/fears about immunization and AEFI and their influence on caretakers' decisions to vaccinate; and obtain an understanding of knowledge, perceptions, and experience of health care workers (HCWs) and policy administrators on vaccine safety and AEFI...

Immunisation is one of the corner stones of public health. Most health care consumers see the health care worker as their major source of information on immunisation and vaccine safety. Doctors, nurses and midwives should be appropriately and timely trained for that role. Within the Vaccine Safety, Attitudes, Training and Communication (VACSATC) EU-project a specific work package focused on the possible improvements of pre-service training of future health care workers. Surveys to assess current pre-service training about knowledge, skills and competences towards immunisation were distributed to students and curriculum managers of medical schools, universities and nursing training institutions in seven EU countries...

AIM: The aim of the study was to become familiar with parents' and Medical Health Care specialists knowledge and attitude towards vaccinations. The influence of information, provided to patients from various sources, on general opinion about immunization and its coverage within the last year were evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Analysis of questionnaires about vaccinations performed among 151 parents and 180 Medical Health Care specialists. RESULTS: Medical Health Care specialists knowledge was considerably higher in comparison to questioned parents...

OBJECTIVES: (1) To synthesize sociocultural results from diverse populations related to vaccine decision-making, understanding of cervical cancer and its etiology, experience with previous vaccinations, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine concerns, and information needed to foster acceptance; (2) to contextualize findings in light of recent studies; and (3) to discuss implications for communication strategies to facilitate vaccine acceptance. DESIGN: Descriptive qualitative synthesis of sociocultural studies in 4 countries using iterative theme-based analyses...

India is contributing large number of total world's polio cases. The present study was carried out with the objective to assess the knowledge of the parents regarding pulse polio and their perception towards pulse polio and other immunization. The study revealed that children of all age groups participated in PPI though the coverage was low in 37-48 and 49-60 month age group. In all 30.5% children of respondents could not get OPV in the previous year and they came for the first time to the PPI centre. A significant finding of the study was the status of children regarding other immunization, as 59...

Research was undertaken to examine childhood immunisation uptake rates, parental attitudes towards immunisation and immunisation services and parents' perceptions of health workers' (especially nurses') contribution to immunisation in the Western Metropolitan Region of Sydney, NSW. After a pilot study a questionnaire was distributed by teachers to a random sample of 450 parents of kindergarten children living in the Region. Data revealed an 84% childhood immunisation rate for all scheduled immunisations up to five years with a partial immunisation rate of 10% (6% did not answer or had gaps in immunisation information)...