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Publication
Portuguese parental beliefs and attitudes towards vaccination
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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Introduction: Portugal has one of the highest vaccine coverage
rates among European countries, associated with excellent vaccine
convenience and confidence levels. Considering both the high rate
of pediatric vaccination in Portugal and the excellent indicators of
vaccine convenience established, an analysis of confidence and
complacency indicators could help understand this positive
example. This study aimed to characterize parental beliefs
according to the intention to vaccinate a next child and identify
cognitive and demographic predictors of that intention in a
Portuguese sample.
Methods: We measured perceptions of vaccines’safety and efficacy,
perceptions of the severity of vaccine-preventable diseases, beliefs
related to conspiracy theories, attitudes towards immunization
requirements, perceptions of social norms as predictors of the
intention to vaccinate a subsequent child. We also inquired if
parents had previously refused a recommended vaccine. The
authors disseminated the questionnaire online to reach a diverse
population of parents of 0–12 years old children. The final sample
included 1,118 parents, 96.9% reported their intention to vaccinate
the next child, and 3.6% had previously refused a vaccine. Two
additional open-ended questions regarding motives to vaccinate
or refuse a future baby’s vaccination were answered by 886 parents.
Results: All the evaluated parental cognitive dimensions were
significantly different between the group of parents who would
vaccinate a next child and those who expressed the intention not
to vaccinate. Beliefs about the safety and efficacy of vaccines and
having fewer children were significant predictors of that intention.
Conclusion: The vast majority of parents reported attitudes and
beliefs favorable to pediatric vaccination with high consistency in
all cognitive dimensions assessed. Concerns regarding pediatric
vaccines’ safety need to be sensitively and actively addressed by
health providers to maintain excellent vaccination coverage rates.
Description
Keywords
Pediatric vaccination Intention Parental beliefs Vaccine confidence Vaccine complacency
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Fonseca, I. C., Pereira, A. I., & Barros, L. (2021). Portuguese parental beliefs and attitudes towards vaccination. Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, 9(1), 422-435. https://doi.org/10.1080/21642850.2021.1920948
Publisher
Taylor & Francis