Parents’ and healthcare professionals’ views and attitudes towards anti-vaccination

Abstract

Aims: Anti-vaccination is a sign of transition from sociality to individuality, although it is a dangerous situation for public health. The aim of our study was to determine the opinions and experiences of parents and healthcare professionals about vaccination and anti-vaccination and to evaluate the ethical dimension. Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study. The study population consisted of parents referred to the department of paediatrics of a university hospital in Ankara, Turkiye and all physicians, nurses, and midwives in the department of paediatrics. The participants were surveyed on childhood vaccinations. Results: The sample consisted of 80 parents and 36 healthcare professionals, 56.3% of the parents were female, and 68.8% had an undergraduate degree. The average age of healthcare workers was 44 years and 72.2% of them were female. Seven parents (8.8%) rejected vaccination. The frequency of parents who wanted to know more about the vaccines was 67.4%. The frequency of healthcare professionals stating that the decision of childhood vaccination should not be left to the family was 91.7%. Conclusions: The vast majority of parents participating in our study were concerned that vaccines could have dangerous side effects. Parents needed more information about the vaccines. Healthcare professionals, on the other hand, were against leaving the decision to the parents in a childhood vaccination program and indicated a need for precautions against antivaccination.