Vaccine rejection and hesitation in Turkey

Abstract

In Turkey, primary care staffs have observed an increased rate of vaccination refusal in recent years. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of vaccination refusal and hesitancy in Turkey, in addition to the demographic features and underlying reasons. The present descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in İstanbul and Tekirdağ, two big Turkish cities that are exposed to widespread internal migration. To reflect Turkey’s demographic structure, 1004 participants were selected using cluster sampling based on birthplace, age, and level of education, from all individuals who attended family medicine outpatient clinics at Namık Kemal University and Şişli Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital. A face-to-face questionnaire method was used. Data show that this decline was mainly the result of the increasing rate of vaccine rejection and hesitation, for which the most important reason was found to be distrust of vaccine companies. It can be concluded that individuals who display vaccine refusal and hesitation are mostly born in the developed geographical regions of Turkey and have high income and educational levels. According to these results, we anticipate that vaccination rates may fall in Turkey in the coming years.