Evaluation of Mothers‘ Opinions on Routine Childhood Vaccinations

Abstract

Objective: Childhood vaccinations have been a milestone in the control of infectious diseases. However, even in countries that offer both free and equal access to vaccines, cases of vaccine hesitancy have increased from year to year. Parents are the decision-makers in childhood immunizations. The aim of the study was to determine the attitudes of parents about childhood vaccinations and to define the factors affecting these attitudes. Material and Methods: This is a descriptive study. The universe of the research consisted of mothers living in Nevşehir province. The Snowball sampling method was used to determine the participants. The snowball sampling method was used to determine the participants. Data collection forms (Google Form) prepared online were collected between 19.06.2021 and 20.11.2021 with 347 mothers who have children between the ages of 0-2 who agreed to participate in the study. Results: 58.5% (n= 203) of the participants in the study were between the ages of 18-30, 39.5% (n= 137) were university graduates, 59.7% (n= 207) were not working, 51.0% (n= 203) were unemployed (n= 177) had two children, and 30.7% (n= 197) of their children were in the 7-11 month age group. The mean total score of the mothers from the anti-vac- cination scale was found to be 50.9 ± 9.17. In the scores obtained from the sub-dimensions of the scale, the highest score was obtained from the “anti-vaccine” sub-dimension with 20.1 ± 5.01. Conclusion: As a result of study, it was determined that the parents had moderate anti-vaccination. Providing parents with basic information about vaccines and vaccine preventable diseases can help reduce opposi- tion to mandatory vaccination by reinforcing the safety and importance of routine childhood vaccinations.