Parents' attitudes and behaviours towards recommended vaccinations in Sicily, Italy
Maria Anna Coniglio1, Marco Platania, Donatella Privitera
1Department of Hygiene and Public Health G, F, Ingrassia, via Santa Sofia 87, 95123, University of Catania, Catania, Italy. ma.coniglio@unict.it
Insights
Parental acceptance of recommended childhood vaccinations is high in Sicily. Family paediatricians significantly influence parents
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Public Health Policy
- Vaccinology
Background:
- Italy employs a dual vaccination system: mandatory and recommended.
- Childhood immunisation acceptance is crucial for public health.
- Understanding parental decisions on recommended vaccines is vital.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate factors influencing parental acceptance of recommended childhood vaccinations.
- To assess the role of social influence and information sources in vaccination decisions.
Main Methods:
- Anonymous questionnaire distributed to parents of 3-5 year olds in Sicilian day-care centres.
- Logistic regression analysis to determine factors affecting vaccine acceptance.
- Assessment of parental attitudes, knowledge, and information sources regarding vaccines.
Main Results:
- High participation rate (81.0%) among 1,500 selected parents.
- Over 97% of children had received recommended vaccines prior to the survey.
- Most parents (74.4%) received information from Family Paediatricians, showing good knowledge and low concern about vaccine side effects.
- Parental background, information sources, and social influence did not significantly correlate with acceptance of recommended vaccines.
Conclusions:
- Family Paediatricians play a significant role in promoting parental acceptance of recommended childhood vaccinations.
- Health communication strategies should leverage trusted healthcare providers.
Background:
Since a long time, Italy has maintained a dual system to administer childhood immunisations, that is a certain number of mandatory vaccinations and a number of recommended vaccinations. The study aimed to explore the issues surrounding parental acceptance or non-acceptance of the recommended vaccinations for children.
Methods:
Parents of children aged 3-5 years of day-care centres in Sicily were asked to fill out an anonymous questionnaire. Determinants of the attitude towards recommended vaccinations and social influence on the decision-making process were assessed using logistic regression analysis.
Results:
Of the 1,500 selected parents, 81.0% participated in the study. Prior to the survey, the majority of children (97.6%) received recommended vaccines. Most parents (74.4%) received information about vaccinations from Family Paediatricians, showed a good knowledge about the side effects of the vaccines (73.1%), did not worry about their potential dangerousness (53.0%) and would have accepted their children to be vaccinated even if it was not required for day care (84.1%). The majority (79.9%) were not disposed to follow the advises of the anti-vaccination movements. Parents' background characteristics, sources of information and social influence were not significantly associated with parental acceptance of recommended vaccines for childhood.
Conclusions:
This study suggests that health information by Family Paediatricians is significantly associated with parental acceptance of recommended vaccinations.
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