Vaccination Attitude and Communication in Early Settings: An Exploratory Study

• Published in: Vaccines (Basel) Vol. 8; no. 4; p. 701
• Main Authors: Mereu, Noemi, Mereu, Alessandra, Murgia, Alessandra, Liori, Arianna, Piga, Michela, Argiolas, Federico, Salis, Graziella, Santus, Simonetta, Porcu, Carmela, Contu, Paolo, Sardu, Claudia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 20.11.2020; MDPI
• Subjects: Attitudes; Babies; Birth; birth centre; Breastfeeding & lactation; Childbirth & labor; Communication; early communication; Exposure; Health care; Health services; Hypotheses; Immunization; Meetings; new-born babies’ mothers; Parents & parenting; Pregnancy; prenatal courses; Questionnaires; Ultrasonic imaging; Vaccination; vaccination attitude; vaccine hesitancy; Vaccines; Italy; vaccine hesitancy; vaccination attitude; prenatal courses; birth centre; new-born babies’ mothers; early communication
• ISSN: 2076-393X; 2076-393X
• DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8040701

Background: This study assesses attitudes towards vaccination in mothers of new-born babies and explores its association with different exposures to communication. Methods: Data were collected through questionnaires administered by means of interviews. Results: Data highlighted that 20% of mothers showed an orientation towards vaccine hesitancy. As for the reasons behind the attitude to vaccine hesitancy, data showed that concern is a common feature. As for the different exposures to communication, 49% of mothers did not remember having received or looked for any information about vaccination during pregnancy and post-partum; 25% stated they received information from several healthcare and non-healthcare sources; 26% declared having received or looked for information by means of healthcare and non-healthcare sources, as well as having taken part in a specific meeting during antenatal classes or at birth centres. The attitude towards vaccine hesitancy tends to reduce as exposure to different communication increases. Conclusions: This study supports the hypothesis that participation in interactive meetings in small groups focused on vaccination during the prenatal course or at the birth point may act as an enabling factor contributing to a decrease in the tendency to experience vaccine hesitation.