Attitudes of new mothers toward childhood vaccinations in Rzeszow, Poland

Abstract

Introduction: The purpose of this research is to identify the key beliefs and understanding, sources of trust and information, and planned actions regarding childhood vaccinations of mothers to newborns in Rzeszow, Poland. Material and methods: A survey aiming to identify the above factors was disseminated to mothers who had given birth in Rzeszow, Poland. In total, 143 surveys were analyzed, and a χ2 statistical analysis was used to test for significance between the variables. Results: Demographic factors did not have a significant association with the beliefs, sources of trust and information, or actions of new mothers regarding childhood vaccinations in Rzeszow. The most common vaccine adverse beliefs (VAB) concerned the vaccine schedule and whether childhood vaccines should be mandatory. The number of adverse beliefs mothers were unsure about showed no statistically significant association with the planned action of choosing to vaccinate or not. The top source of information about vaccinations was the internet, while the most trusted source for vaccine information was pediatricians/family doctors. Factors that did have a statistically significant association included beliefs about vaccines and sources of information and trust. Conclusions: Overall, the most common VAB and key sources of information and trust about vaccinations in our study population in Rzeszow are similar to previous studies done elsewhere. We also identified that some mothers who vaccinated their older children could be changing their minds amidst the growing movement of vaccine hesitancy. This highlights that it is a key time for physicians to increase education and stress the importance about childhood vaccines, and creating reputable internet sources backed by physicians could help stop the spread of vaccine hesitancy and misinformation.