Parents and teachers’ perspectives on a school-located influenza vaccination program: A pilot study in the Region of Murcia, Spain

Abstract

During the 2022–2023 season, the Region of Murcia (an autonomous community of Spain) introduced the influenza vaccination campaign in children aged 24–59 months with the live-attenuated influenza nasal spray vaccine. To expand coverage, a pilot study was conducted to include the 3- to 4-year population in 24 public schools. The aim of the study was to assess the experiences of parents and teachers involved in the project. This was a psychosocial qualitative study in which information was collected from a cohort of 23 parents and 17 teachers who attended three and two focus group sessions, respectively. A high degree of satisfaction with the school-located influenza vaccination program was consistently reported. The teachers reported creating a friendly environment and acting as companions to support children in the absence of their parents. They also considered the intranasal route, which avoids intramuscular puncture, as a facilitating element that turned the vaccination process into a kind of game. Parents emphasized the importance of vaccination to protect their children, and secondarily, to ensure protection of the family nucleus. Some parents who had their children already vaccinated in the health care center reported preference for the school setting, probably selecting this option in the future. The availability of school-based influenza vaccination promoted greater equity in accessing the vaccine and facilitated family reconciliation. To optimize coverage and minimize potential reluctance, providing the necessary information to parents both before and after vaccination was considered. School-located influenza vaccination was feasible and is a valuable strategy to be implemented in future campaigns.