Awareness of influenza and attitude toward influenza vaccination among medical students

Abstract

In Poland, influenza vaccination coverage among both the general population and healthcare workers is low. The aim of the study was to evaluate attitudes towards influenza vaccination among final-year medical students compared with first-year students at medical schools in Poland. Students were asked about the last season’s influenza vaccination and what the reasons were for having, or not having, the vaccination. The knowledge of influenza was assessed using a 10-point visual analog scale. The study group consisted of 712 medical students, 404 in the first year and 308 in the final year (35 % and 31 % of all students in those years, respectively). Final-year students believed they had a better knowledge of influenza (OR = 3.33; CI95 %: 2.54-4.39). They answered questions about influenza immunizations (OR = 0.59; CI95 %: 0.44-0.78) and vaccination recommendations in pregnant women correctly more frequently (OR = 0.21; CI95 %: 0.16-0.28). The influenza vaccination rate among students in the 2014/2015 season was similar (17.1 % in the first vs. 15.9 % in the final year, NS). Among the final-year students, the reason for not having the vaccination was mainly financial and not any other. We conclude that although medical students’ knowledge about influenza increases in the course of study, it did not much affect their unwilling attitude toward vaccination.