The Evaluation of the Vaccine Hesitancy among Parents of Children Aged 0-14

INTRODUCTION: This study aims to assess vaccine hesitancy among parents of children aged 0–14 and its related factors.
METHODS: This study is a cross-sectional study conducted among parents of children aged 0–14 who consulted the Eskiþehir Osmangazi University Family Medicine Polyclinic between April 1 and September 30, 2022. The questionnaire form comprises sociodemographic characteristics and questions regarding vaccines. The World Health Organization Vaccine Hesitancy Scale was used to determine the frequency of vaccine hesitancy among the parents.
RESULTS: A total of 375 parents were assessed. In the study, 11 (2.9%) of the parents had at least one child who had not been vaccinated. Parents with unvaccinated children had a vaccine hesitancy score of 41.0 (17.0) and parents with unvaccinated children had a vaccine hesitancy score of 42.0 (8.0) (p=0.201). Parents who used the Internet as a source of information about vaccines had lower vaccine hesitancy scale scores than those who did not (40.0 [8.0] vs. 43.0 [8.0], p<0.001). In addition, the vaccine hesitancy score of parents who received vaccine-related information from health professionals was significantly higher (43.0 [8.0] vs. 40.0 [11.5], p=0.001).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Obtaining vaccine-related information from health-care professionals rather than the Internet or other sources could lead to significant progress in combating vaccine hesitancy among parents.